


Face to Face

by Etheriell



Series: Face to Face [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 17:46:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 114,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4573884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etheriell/pseuds/Etheriell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When team RWBY has to face themselves and their demons, how will they cope? Better yet, how will they cope with their own feelings?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I posted to FF.net, but as I've decided to join Ao3 as well, I'm going to move this over here too! There are some OC's in this, even though I generally dislike using OC's, but none of the canon characters fit what I needed. However, they are plot objects. The main focus is entirely on team RWBY and to a lesser extent, team JNPR.

Glynda Goodwitch’s class was well known for ending in pain. Aura protected a person from the worst of it, but the bruises and soreness stayed after the fights ended. Since no one was ever sure who would be called to fight that day, everyone came to class with bottles of painkillers just in case. Luckily for teams RWBY and JNPR, her class was also the last of the day, so afterwards they merely had to make the sore trek back to the dorm and begin their homework for the evening. But today’s class had begun differently.

Normally, Goodwitch began class immediately calling students down to begin the fight. But today she merely sat at her desk and waited, looking occasionally at the clock as though expecting something. As expected from teenagers, this quickly led to them all gossiping.

“What’s going on?” Weiss’s exasperated voice hissed out. “We’re supposed to be having class!”

“Oh c’mon princess, it’s a chance to relax,” came Yang’s drawl. The brawler had leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms behind her head and was looking up at the ceiling. “It’s a perfect time to take a break you know.”

“Oh of course you’d say that, Yang! But I’m here to learn!” Weiss’s voice had raised slightly as she glared at Yang’s reclining form. Blake had pulled out one of her books and was busy reading it, but her eyes glanced over at Yang as the tiniest smile made its way onto her face at the sight of her partner.

“I just wonder what she’s waiting for,” came Ruby’s inquisitive tone. As if her question had been the trigger, the doors to the class opened and a young man and woman stepped in, making their way over to Goodwitch’s desk. They seemed to speak for but a brief moment, before she nodded and stood up, getting the attention of the student’s.

“Today’s lesson will be different than normal. We’ve brought in a specialist, to teach you things few people realize about hunters and huntresses. Today’s class will be taught by Mr. Azure Silva and his teammate, Miss Tanya Beren. They are recent graduates of Beacon, and are here as a special favor. So please show them the respect you would show any of the faculty here.” Goodwitch sat down and nodded at Azure.

Azure strode to the center of the room, an unremarkable man dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt, his chin-length brown hair moving slightly as he walked. He fixed his green eyes on the students and spoke out. “Greetings. As I’ve already been introduced, we will begin. First, I want to ask you something…how are we hunters and huntresses viewed by those we protect?” The student’s whispering had a note of confusion to it, until Ruby stood up and spoke.

“As heroes! We protect them from the Grimm and other forms of darkness!” She nodded proudly, but her proud visage faded slightly when Azure’s eyes fixed on hers. He cocked his head at her.

“Is that how you all feel? We are heroes, yes? We sacrifice ourselves for a thankless job of fighting and pain, interspersed with a few vacations, until someday we don’t come home. Until someday, our family is left without us. We sacrifice, so the public should see us as heroes, they should love us…but that is unfortunately a dream.” He began pacing, his hands behind his back as he raised his voice to be sure they could hear him.

“To the public, the truth is, we are viewed as weapons. And worse, as weapons more terrifying than any other weapon known to man. Yes, many in the public view us as heroes, but have you ever seen your own face during a battle? Have you ever seen what you look like to others? No. No you have not. And that is why I am here. Those of us who choose this line of work do it for many reasons. Some of us wish for adventure, some to right wrongs, and some to simply help. But in the end, to fight the monsters at our door, we have to cross into the line. We have to set aside our feelings, our humanity, to destroy. To fight, we must become cold. And to someone who does not understand this life, does not understand this burden, we look as terrifying as the monster. A beowolf may be able to break down a door, or throw a car. But can a beowolf destroy an entire building with but a swing of a weapon?” Azure paused in the center of the room, and raised his hand, pointing directly at Ruby.

“For today’s lesson, team RWBY will be partaking in this lesson. Ladies, if you would please join me in the arena.” He waited patiently as the girls made their way down into the pit, Yang leaping straight from her seat to land in front of him, grinning up at him in her cocky fashion. He gave the ghost of a smile before speaking. “Well, this is as good a start as any. Yang Xiao Long, you are the first to undergo this test. Followed by Blake Belladona, Weiss Schnee, and Ruby Rose, in that order. Yang, prepare your weapon. You three, go back to the wall. Do not interfere.” Yang merely cracked her neck and extended Ember Celica, putting her fists up in a classic boxing pose. Azure chuckled. “Not yet Yang. One more thing you need to know. You will not be fighting me…but yourself.”

Yang blinked. “Uh…what?” The excited muttering of the other students quieted as Azure’s voice dropped lower.

“My semblance allows me to do a…interesting thing. I can copy another person’s appearance, form, and their semblance as well. This has many weakness; unfamiliarity with it means I often make mistakes, and it is always weaker than the originator’s semblance. But, it still allows me to become enough like them to be a challenge. However, the reason I was asked to do this is because of my teammate’s semblance.” Even Weiss looked confused, unable to comprehend what he was getting at. “Tanya’s semblance allows her to get inside your head and find your fears, the darkness inside you, and make you face it. So while you fight me, looking and sounding exactly like you, you have to fight those dark voices in your head. In essence, we are forcing you to face your own demons. I have spent weeks studying your fighting techniques, and I have already prepared a replica of Ember Celica for this. As I have done for the other members of your team. In this situation, none of you should have any problem defeating me. I will be using weapons, techniques, and powers I am unfamiliar with. I have only had a few weeks to prepare for this. There is no reason you should lose this fight.” Azure took a moment to gather his breath, as he casually strapped a dull gray version of Yang’s gauntlets to his wrists.

“And yet…you will.” Yang’s eyes narrowed at this claim. “Because you fear yourself. So Yang, if you think you’re ready, take my hand, and prepare to fight.” Azure extended his hand out, palm up, and simply waited as though he had no care in the world. For a moment, what looked like fear crossed Yang’s face, but she stubbornly shook her head and slammed her hand down into his.

“I’m not going to lose, not to you, and not to a fake!” She loudly proclaimed. Azure only grinned as he began glowing silver for a moment, before the aura glow around him changed to a bright yellow. In a second, his entire being shifted and blurred, flaring brightly for a brief moment before stabilizing, looking identical to Yang.

“Whoa, he really does look like Yang now!” Ruby whispered to Weiss. Weiss shuddered for a second, having been frozen ever since Azure had first spoken. Ruby noticed and turned to her, looking at her worriedly. “Weiss, are you ok?” Weiss glared at Ruby.

“Of course I am you dolt! Just…just watch the fight.” Weiss’s thoughts were a jumble, thoughts of what the true impact of such a fight would mean.

Ruby just looked at Weiss sadly. ‘Oh man…I just wish she’d talk to me sometimes.’ A slamming sound from Yang brought her attention back to the field, just in time to see Yang smashing her hands together and getting back into her stance as Azure walked a distance away, before turning to face her. “Alright Yang, when you are ready…give the word.” Yang grumbled, annoyed, and nodded her head. Tanya, standing unobtrusively to the side, lifted her hand. Her aura flared for a second, before she and everyone else around them seemed to disappear to Yang’s eyes, leaving only the double and herself in the arena. The other Yang’s grin faded, and a burning red appeared in her eyes before she blasted her way forward, her fist screaming for Yang’s skull.

 

To Be Continued…


	2. Chapter 2

The door to the RWBY dorm burst open in a flurry of rose petals. A red blur flitted about the room, stopping in the bathroom for only a brief moment before dashing to the bed. Ruby, pajama's swiftly thrown on, threw herself up onto her bed and buried her head in her pillow. She yanked her blankets up to cover her head and huddled down into a ball, the bed swaying dangerously for a moment before finally stabilizing.

Weiss was the next to march into the room, standing tall and proud with the same distinct glare she was well known for. A perceptive observer would however note the way her hand never left Myrtenaster's hilt, and the way her hand shook slightly. She wasted no time in marching straight to her desk and sitting promptly in her seat, opening one of her many notebooks. Pencil in hand, she bent over the desk, making not a sound even as Blake arrived.

Blake simply grabbed her pajamas and immediately went into the bathroom to change, reappearing just in time for Yang's arrival. As Yang stomped into the room, the telltale heat of her semblance heralding her arrival, Blake sat herself on her bed and lifted up one of her books, burying her nose in it. Yang slammed the door shut and just stripped on her way to her bed, throwing her clothes off into the corner as she climbed into her pajamas. Normally, Weiss would go off on Yang for both stripping in the middle of the room and worse, throwing her clothes all over, but the heiress's eyes never left the page in front of her.

As Yang's semblance slowly died down, she took a deep breath and paused to look around at her teammates. Her lilac eyes slowly scanned the room, noting the fact Weiss's pencil never moved, how Blake wasn't turning a single page, how the bundle of blankets that was Ruby kept shuddering. Yang closed her eyes and tamped down her feelings as best she could, before walking over to Weiss and gently placing her hand on her shoulder. Weiss jumped, startled, and turned around to look blankly at Yang. Yang smiled softly at her and plucked the pencil from her hands, pulling her unresisting body up from the chair and gently shoving her towards the bathroom. Yang grabbed Weiss's neatly folded nightgown from her dresser and handed it to her, before softly shutting the door behind her.

Yang strode over to Blake's bed and sat down on the edge of it, nudging Blake with her shoulder. When Blake didn't respond, she swiftly yanked the book from Blake's hands, getting her attention. Yang's smile never left her face as she reached up and gently tugged Blake's bow from her head, freeing her ears, before setting the book off on the desk and pulling Blake's blankets up to cover her. Yang placed her hands on Blake's shoulders and pushed her down so she was laying down before bringing the covers back up to cover her. Blake's amber eyes never left Yang's, staring at her blankly as though she didn't fully recognize her. Her eyes closed as Yang softly stroked her hair back from her face, before getting up just in time to grab Weiss as she left the bathroom.

Before Weiss could go back to the desk, Yang firmly pointed her in the direction of her bed and gave her a small shove so she would go. Weiss glared at Yang for a moment, but one look in her eyes and the soft smile Yang was giving her cracked her façade for a brief second, letting the pain flash through her eyes. She nodded at Yang and went to lay down, turning her back on the room and facing the wall before shutting her eyes. Yang's eyes went back to the pile of blankets that was her sister, and she went over to stand by her bed, climbing up onto the edge of Weiss's so she could look levelly across at Ruby's still form.

Pulling back the blankets just enough to reveal Ruby's tear-stained face, Yang faltered for a brief moment. The look of misery on Ruby's face nearly set off Yang's rage, but she took a deep breath before reaching out and running her fingers through Ruby's hair. Ruby closed her eyes at the sensation, snuggling into Yang's hand and curling closer to her. Yang began to hum an old lullaby, her voice quiet and warm. As Ruby slowly drifted off to sleep, Yang kept humming quietly, until the sounds of sleep came from all three girls, their breathing even and slow. Yang stepped down from Weiss's bed carefully, before grabbing the nearest chair and setting it in the middle of the room.

She sat down in it and placed her head in her hands, listening for the telltale signs she knew were coming at some point. She knew exactly what was going through her own head, and was fairly certain she knew what Ruby had seen. Though she was not as close to Blake and Weiss as she was to her sister, it wasn't hard to figure out someone was going to have a rough night…if not all of them. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep anyways, so it was ok if she waited up until one of them needed someone. She may not be related to Weiss and Blake, but they were her team, her partner…her friends. She'd wait for them all night if she had to, to make sure they could sleep peacefully. Her eyes closed, she kept flashing back to the fight.

It was brutal. She had no idea how brutal she could be in a fight, or how terrifying it was to see someone shrug off being thrown into a pillar and simply laugh about it. Those burning red eyes, the inferno that surrounds her when her semblance takes full effect…the stuff of nightmares. She always thought she was cheerful, bright, and warm. Ok, her jokes often lead to groans and complaints, but people still smiled in her presence. But…was she really that bad in battle? And the voices…the whispers about how she failed to protect Ruby, about how easily she was batted aside by that Neo girl. If it weren't for the timely intervention of that strange person in the mask, she had no doubts she'd be dead right now. And Ruby would be alone.

When Summer died, Yang didn't have a chance to grieve. Summer may not have been her real mother, but she was her mom. Summer raised her, took care of her, and loved her as she loved Ruby. But her death nearly killed the light in her father. He was a shell for months on end after Summer's loss. And Ruby, Ruby was too young. She had no idea what it really meant, when they told her Mommy wasn't coming home. Qrow tried to help the girls as much as he could, he visited nearly every week, took Yang and Ruby out, and listened to Taiyang's pain. But someone had to step up and be a mother to Ruby, and that someone was Yang. Yang was her big sister, her mother, and her best friend. Ruby needed her, and she had promised Ruby she'd never leave her. But just a week ago, she nearly lost her life and left Ruby alone.

The most terrifying part of the voices was the ones that made her relive that heart-stopping moment when they saw Crescent Rose lying on the ground before the giant hole. Every dark possibility had ran through her mind at that moment, every worry about her sister she'd ever had flashed before her eyes in one instant. Ruby was a huntress in training, and part of that was risking your life. Yang knew she couldn't protect Ruby forever, but it was only their first year. The first year, and Ruby was captured by a group that was even scarier than the Grimm. The Grimm were monsters, soulless beasts that needed put down, but at least they were understood. They existed to kill humans. They had no hidden motives, no dark plans. They didn't hide in the dark, they were simple and direct. But the White Fang? Roman? It was still anyone's guess what they had been planning.

Yang's thoughts were interrupted by a tiny whine from her side, making her snap her head to Blake's bed and rush over as quietly as she could. Blake's fangs were bared and her head was tossing from side to side, eyes clenched shut as whatever haunted her attacked her in her dreams. Dragging the chair over, Yang began softly petting Blake's hair, rubbing her ears every time she passed over them, gently scratching between them. Blake normally hated when people played with her ears, but Yang knew that this was relaxing for her. Her breathing slowed and she stopped moving, relaxing back into the pillow. Yang got lost in the motion, simply sitting at her side for a few minutes before realizing Blake's eyes were open and she was looking at her. Yang jerked her hand back, causing Blake to show that tiny smile of hers, making Yang's heart skip a quick beat.

"How long have you been sitting there Yang?" Came Blake's quiet voice, breaking the stillness of the darkness.

Yang shrugged, unsure herself. "Dunno. I just…I can't sleep. Wanted to make sure you guys were ok."

Blake's smile faded. "And what about you? Are you ok?"

Yang sighed, dropping her head for a moment before looking back up at Blake, meeting her eyes. "Ok isn't the word I'd use, but…I guess I kind of expected it. After the breach happened, I've been going over everything that happened for a while. The voices didn't say anything I hadn't said to myself recently anyways. I was more disturbed when I realized why Junior is so scared of me." Yang's heart leapt up when she heard Blake chuckle softly.

"Yeah, you can be pretty scary when you want to be. But we wouldn't want you any other way."

Yang swallowed nervously, feeling her face getting slightly flush as Blake looked at her, those amber eyes piercing in the dark. She chuckled nervously and brushed her hand through her hair. "But what about you Blake? Are you ok?" Blake didn't respond at first, glancing away from Yang for a moment before sitting up in her bed so she could look at Yang on the same level.

"I don't know." The quiet admission stung Yang, making her chest ache as she looked at Blake. Blake couldn't meet her eyes at first, looking down at the bedspread and picking at it.

"I get the lesson. I get the point of it. But…it really hurt. It really scared me. I kept hearing about all those innocents who died to the White Fang and it keeps reminding me of who I once was, who they were and who they became. I still remember the look on Weiss's face when she talked about the deaths of people she knew. I didn't want that, I never wanted that. I just wanted to try to make things better, you know?" Glancing up at Yang, she saw the silent encouragement in her eyes and took a deep breath. "I told Oobleck I wanted to make the world a better place, but he was right when he asked me how I was going to do it. I ran into this school half-cocked, with no real plan and no real idea of how I was going to accomplish anything. And a small part of me is still so angry at Weiss for being a Schnee, even though it's not her fault she was born that way. And I BELIEVE her! She says she wants to fix the mistakes her father made, she wants to make sure he is not the last of their line, and I believe her! I really think she's trying, but part of me is still so angry at her. I know it's wrong, but it's just how I feel."

"It's ok. I don't blame you for that." The soft voice from behind them made them both whip their heads around to see Weiss still facing the wall. She slowly rolled over to face them, looking at the floor. "It wasn't like I came across as the most…accepting person around. I really did hate Faunus's for the longest time. I blamed them all for the White Fang, but I should have known better. It wasn't right to blame anyone but the ones who did it. And I know I hurt you when I said those things, and…I…I'm…" Weiss's clear struggle to speak kept Blake and Yang silent. After screwing her eyes shut for a moment in intense concentration, Weiss breathed out. "I'm sorry. I never had friends before. I don't know how to deal with these…these feelings." Weiss sat up at the edge of her bed, her hands gripping the wooden frame tightly. "I know I'm stubborn, and hostile, and well…"

Yang's amused voice rang out. "A bitch?"

Weiss glared at Yang for a second, before a miniscule smile made its way onto her face before she flipped her hair back, full of pride and arrogance. "That's Queen Bitch to you, blondie!" She smirked as the girls shared a quiet laugh. The laughter faded as Weiss folded her hands over her stomach, gripping the material her nightgown was made of tightly. "I just…I don't want to be my father. He's cold, and cruel, and my only use to him is as a bargaining chip to solidify power. I want to make the SDC a good place, a place where people want to work, a place that helps the world. But I don't want to have to turn into my father to do that. But I have this whole perfect girl idea in my head that I can't seem to shake, all these things I need to do to be the perfect daughter, the perfect huntress, the perfect heiress. And it's just impossible to live up to! But the one thing I will do right is I WILL fix the way we treat people…Faunus are people too. I don't care what I have to do, I will change that." Weiss's face was set in stone, her tone grim, but quickly flushed beet red when a voice came from above.

"You're plenty perfect to me." Came Ruby's voice from the bed above. Weiss's face lit up bright red, visible even in the darkness of the room. Ruby bent over the edge of her bed to hang her head upside down, her short hair failing to defy gravity and making it look like it was spiked. Ruby smiled at Weiss before she realized how she worded that, her face suddenly blazing and rivaling the brightness of Weiss's face as they stared at each other. Blake and Yang's giggles broke the spell they were under, and Ruby swung herself back up to sit upright on her bed. Her voice cracked slightly as she tried to speak.

"I'm younger than you guys, and sometimes, I don't think I belong here. I'm still just this immature little kid, and here I am leading a team, and you guys are so awesome and cool and I just…I'm not you. I want to be the best leader possible, I want to earn my place, to prove I deserve to be at this school. And…I…I just want mom to be proud of me." Ruby's voice dropped to a whisper at the last sentence she spoke.

"Ruby?" Came Weiss's questioning voice. Ruby looked down to see Weiss leaning out from her bed so she could look up at her. Ruby cocked her to the side, confused. This motion reminded Weiss so much of a puppy that she barely held back a laugh.

"I don't know if your mom is proud of you, and I don't know if this means anything but…I am. You are a good leader. And don't let anyone tell you different…not even me." Weiss's words made Ruby feel so warm inside, her grin spreading across her face and making her eyes water slightly with unshed tears. The room dropped into silence, but unlike the earlier uncomfortable one, this one felt warmer. Yang began humming the lullaby she had hummed to Ruby earlier, just casually sitting by Blake's side as she hummed away, a small smile on her face. Ruby leapt down from her bed and crossed over to Yang and Blake, dragging the other desk chair next to Yang. Sitting down besides Yang, Ruby wrapped one arm around Yang's waist as Yang put her arm around her sister's shoulder. Ruby began humming along with Yang. Blake swung her legs off the edge of her bed and scooted closer to Yang's side, joining in the humming. Casually, Blake slid her hand over to Yang's and carefully intertwined her fingers with hers. Stubbornly refusing to look at her hand or Yang, Blake blushed but kept humming, just feeling the warmth spread through her fingers. Yang's grin was so bright it could have blotted out the sun. Ruby didn't even notice, her eyes closed as she bopped her head slightly along with the melody they hummed.

Blake and Yang both looked over at Weiss, who rolled her eyes, but got up with a wry smile and sat down on the edge of Blake's bed. Soon as she sat, Ruby's hand reached out and snatched hers up, sending a tingling sensation straight through her arm and into her chest, making her breath catch in her throat. Ruby opened her silver eyes, staring straight into the heiress's ice blue eyes with a small smile and her cheeks flushed. Weiss didn't pull away, just twisted her hand slightly in Ruby's so she could grip her fingers back. Instead of humming, Weiss began singing quietly, her trained voice easily handling the simple lullaby. The pain from earlier in the day slowly dispersed, leaving all four members of team RWBY feeling calmer than they had in months. The song continued into the early hours of the morning, the sunrise sending its rays into their room slowly, the dawning of a new day.


	3. Chapter 3

Breakfast that morning was a subdued affair. The previous day's events weighed heavily on RWBY's minds. Such uncharacteristic silence from RWBY was not missed by team JNPR, who spent quite a few minutes quietly arguing over whether they should say something or not, until Pyrrha finally elbowed Jaune to get him to speak.

"Hey uh…you guys ok?" Jaune's tone cut through the girl's thoughts, and Ruby shook her head to clear it for a moment.

"Oh. Yeah, we're ok Jaune. Just, thinking a lot." Ruby tried to smile at Jaune, but the look on his face and the other members of JNPR clued her in to the fact it may not have been as genuine as she hoped it was. Before Jaune could continue his questioning, a quiet cough interrupted him. Professor Goodwitch was standing at the end of their table, her stern gaze falling directly upon team RWBY.

"Girls, after you are finished with your breakfast, go to councilor's office." Without waiting for a response, she swiftly strode off, the clacking of her heels a punctuation to her clipped words. Both teams had a brief moment where all eight were left in wonderment, blinking blankly in her direction, before looking back at each other and shrugging. Nora immediately jumped into the conversation with another radical dream story, as Ren constantly corrected her insanity without missing a beat. RWBY just continued to eat their breakfasts, their minds torn between yesterday's events, and the reasoning behind the summons to the councilor's office, until a stray comment from Nora caught their attention.

"And then, I heard Weiss singing! It was soooo pretty too!" Weiss began choking on her food, Yang immediately reaching over and smacking her in the center of her back. Weiss wiped her mouth as delicately as possible, tossed a glare at the brawler, and turned back to Nora.

"Wait, please repeat that? You heard me singing? When?"

Nora just beamed happily at her. "Oh, last night, during my dream! I heard some humming, and it got louder, and then suddenly you were singing and me and Ren were dancing and-"Nora's brain seemed to catch up with her mouth as she instantly froze, a tinge of red crossing her cheeks as she sat up ramrod straight. Ren, seated next to her, dropped his fork in surprise. He and Nora exchanged a furtive glance as Pyrrha covered her mouth, trying to hold in her giggles.

Yang however, held no such scruples and leaned forward, a wicked grin spread across her face as she drawled. "Soooo, what was that about dancing hmm?" Even Weiss found mirth in this as everyone turned to look at Nora, who began chuckling nervously.

"Um, uh…nothing! Nothing, nothing at all, I need to go…find a sloth so I can prove the sound a sloth makes! Yeah!" Nora leapt from her seat and dashed out of the cafeteria. All eyes turned to Ren, who just blinked before sighing. Ren got up, picked up Nora's plate along with his own, and quietly walked them to the kitchen before leaving to follow Nora. The rest of the group just exchanged glances before bursting out into laughter.

* * *

Standing in front of the closed councilor's door, the girls just exchanged confused glances, unsure as to who should actually knock. Yang swiftly pushed Ruby forward.

"C'mon, you're the leader, knock little sis!" Ruby stuck her tongue out at Yang, before squaring her shoulders and knocking on the door loudly. A familiar voice rang out, beckoning them in.

"Ah good, you've arrived." Azure smiled at the girls of team RWBY, sitting at a desk with a pile of folders sitting in front of him, along with a mug of what appeared to be tea near his right hand. Tanya, her light brown hair tied back in a ponytail, was busy packing up what appeared to be a duffel bag, but she spared the girls a distracted smile. Azure gestured at Blake, standing at the back, to shut the door. After she did so, he waved his hands towards the chairs situated before his desk. "Please, sit. I don't want to take up too much of your time this morning."

Yang growled, her eyes briefly going red. "You're the counciler? What happened to the old one?"

Azure chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck while looking away, abashed. "Well, thats part of why I asked you here, to explain to you what's going on." Yang's expression showed how unconvinced she was, her arms folded across her chest. Weiss seemed to echo Yang's sentiment, her face twisted into a glare, as Ruby and Blake simply seemed more uncomfortable than anything else. Azure sighed, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace.

"Alright, I guess I deserve that, but I felt you needed to understand. Please, sit." He gestured once more at the chairs. Ruby shrugged and sat down, her teammates following her example. Their rigid posture and apprehensive looks made Azure sigh. Before he could speak, Tanya's hand on his shoulder interrupted him as she hefted the bag to her shoulder.

"I have to get going. You'll be ok?" her worried eyes searched his.

He raised one eyebrow at her. "Unless my memory is faulty, it was your idea I take this job while you, your wife, and Maggie and her husband dealt with your upcoming bundles of joy." Tanya's expression changed to one of irritation and she slapped Azure on the back of the head, causing him to duck down. "OW! Geez, have a heart would you?"

Tanya's indelicate snort indicated exactly what she thought of that. "I only suggested it because you wouldn't take the vacation we told you to, you stubborn ass. And we are not having this argument again, especially not in front of the girls. I'll make sure Onyx calls you later with the updates from the sonogram." Azure smiled lightly at Tanya before patting her shoulder. Tanya kissed his cheek, and then turned to leave. Right as she reached the door, she turned around and bowed low. "Girls…I just want to apologize for yesterday. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but Azure is going to explain everything for you. Be safe." And with that, Tanya disappeared out the door, closing it behind her. Azure grumbled under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like 'throwing me under the damned bus like that', before he took a deep breath and turned back to the rather hostile girls in his office.

"Ok so, I'll get the basics out of the way. I am Azure, leader of team ATOM, consisting of me, Tanya, my partner Onyx, and Magenta, or as we called her, Maggie. We graduated from Beacon three years ago, and immediately jumped into hunting. We've been on back to back missions for three years, until just recently, when Onyx and Tanya got married and decided they wanted to have a baby. It took a bit more planning than it took for Maggie, but they recently had confirmation it worked." At Ruby's confused look, he clarified. "They got a donor. Anyways, all three of them decided (without my input I might add) that I'm not allowed to go on solo missions, so they told me to take a vacation while they are on leave. I'm…not very good at vacationing, so instead, they got me this job since your old councilor was retiring anyways. And well, the headmaster wanted to try out what we did yesterday." Azure got to his feet and began pacing back and forth in the small office. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again, his tone low and solemn.

"You see, when I was young, my family were killed by Grimm. I was lost. Alone. I didn't know how to deal with it. I fell into a deep depression. It was like some deep pit of despair, and I couldn't even find a wall to try to find a handhold. I was trapped, in a prison of my own mind." Ruby and Yang's expressions softened slightly. "I couldn't handle it. A part of me wanted death, but my mother's last wish was for me to live on and find happiness. It was her last request of me, so I HAD to follow it, you know? I found it difficult to do so, but I tried my damndest. When I gained a semblance, I felt like I had found my calling, my chance for revenge. I began hunting Grimm on my own." Azure paused for a moment, before growling out in self-recrimination. "I was an idiot. I nearly got myself killed in my first foray outside the walls, and was saved by none other than Ozpin himself. He suggested I try a proper school, proper training, and in my desire for vengeance, I took him up on it. I worked hard and ended up making it into Beacon, determined to end every Grimm in existence. But I never got past my depression." Azure rolled up his sleeve to show multiple scars dug into his arms and shoulders, the flesh still pink, for all the fact they appeared old. Ruby shuddered briefly at the view.

"I was a self-harmer for a long time. It was easy for a long time, because I spent all my time by myself. But when I got a team, it became a lot more difficult to keep that secretive. Especially with Onyx around. Geez, that woman had no sense of privacy. I was the only male on the team, but hell if she cared. She'd randomly walk into my shower, completely naked, and just grab her razor or something before waltzing out…let's just say it was an adjustment for me, being around someone so open with herself. She noticed the scars early on, but didn't say anything, unsure at first what was going on, or even where they were from. But when she realized I kept getting new ones, she spoke to Tanya and Maggie. They staged an 'intervention' as they called it. They took an entire day off classes just to try and talk to me. Ambushed me early in the morning and refused to let me leave the room till I spilled what was going on. " Azure's expression was far-away, looking off into distant memories.

"For the first time in a long time, someone gave a damn about me. I didn't actually know how to deal with that, to be honest. I was confused at the very idea that they cared. But eventually, they got the point across to me. And for the first time in a very, very long time, I felt like I mattered to someone. But, my fears, my demons, they didn't go away. I hadn't been able to face them, just hide from them. So when we found out what Tanya's semblance was, I demanded she use it on me. I wanted to face my fears, so maybe I could deal with them better. It took a lot of convincing, but eventually she agreed." Azure turned to face the girls, sitting back at the desk once more and placing his chin in his hands.

"It helped a lot more than I can express, that challenge. And when Onyx and Maggie found out, they wanted to face their demons too. And then of course, Tanya wanted to, so they made me use my semblance to copy hers and use it on her. We became much closer, both as a team, and as friends. We ended up telling Ozpin all about it, because we felt maybe it was something he'd find intriguing. After our graduation, well, as I said, we went out and hunted, but when Ozpin offered me this job, he asked we try to use that same idea on well…you." Azure's eyes met the girls.

"Ozpin told me you girls are one of the most powerful teams to enter this academy. And somehow, someway, you always seem to get into the thick of things that you shouldn't even be thinking about as first year students. So, we chose you as the…well, as guinea pigs I guess." At Weiss's offended huff, Azure chuckled. "I know, I know, no one wants to be the ones used as test subjects, but look at it this way. Ozpin respected you enough to believe you could handle this. I called you here, not only to explain this, but also to apologize. I agree with what this lesson is supposed to teach, but as someone who went through it, I also know how much it hurts. I just wanted you to understand why we did that to you, and to let you know I'm sorry." Azure's was very quiet on the last sentence. He shook his head and looked back up at RWBY. "Are there any questions?"

Ruby perked up for a moment. "What did you mean by a donor?"

Azure just blinked at Ruby, before laughing nervously. "Umm…you know what, Yang, I think you should explain that." Blake giggled behind her hand as Yang glared at Azure while Ruby looked expectantly at Yang.

Yang turned to Ruby and spoke out of the side of her mouth."I'll tell you when we get back to the dorm, ok?" Ruby smiled and nodded, looking to Weiss like an adorable little kid. Weiss's pale face had a tiny flush on it as she looked at her leader's smiling face.

Azure grinned slightly behind his hands, before speaking up again. "Well, as the schools new councilor, I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you I am here if you want to chat with someone outside your team. Anything said in this office is between us; I won't even tell Ozpin. I'm available anytime I'm on campus, even if it's late at night. My room here is just behind this office, so if you knock, I'll hear it. Anyways ladies, that's all I have to say, so feel free to enjoy your Saturday." Ruby grabbed Yang and dragged her out of the room, hoping to get answers to her questions, as Weiss followed quickly. Blake looked at Azure for a brief moment, her eyes searching, before leaving the room to follow her team back to their dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

Yang stretched as she walked down the hallway, a massive yawn slipping from her mouth as she placed her hands behind her head. "Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm gonna go stretch a bit and take a run. Wake up a little bit, ya know?" For the first time since the end of class yesterday, Yang's brilliant never-get-me-down smile seemed genuine, and it stirred a feeling deep in Blake's chest that made her look away for a moment.

"I'm just going to go to the library and read for a while." Yang snorted at Blake, before tossing her arm over Blake's shoulder and pulling her close, making Blake's eyes widen and her cheeks to flush at the sudden increase in heat. She had to clamp down on her instinct to snuggle into the warmth that Yang always seemed to exhume.

"Aww c'mon kitty cat, you know you wanna take a run with me!" Yang directed her smile straight at Blake, her lilac eyes boring into Blake's. Blake had no idea how Yang could do that, how she could go from being terrified, hurt, and nearly broken, to this cheerful chaos. But she also knew just what a Yang 'run' entailed, and had no desire to go through that torture.

Blake just shrugged Yang's arm off, stuttering slightly. "N-no, no thank you Yang. I'm at a really good point in my book, I just want to read today." Blake dashed off, waving behind her as Yang's smile slightly faded, before she turned her gaze on her other two teammates, who were right behind…wait, where did they go?

Ruby had Weiss's hand gripped tightly as she yanked Weiss behind her, trying to keep hidden from Yang. No one wanted to go through her version of a 'run'. Weiss was stumbling behind Ruby, trying to ignore the tingling feeling creeping up her arm from Ruby's hand in hers. And failing. Her pulse was racing and Weiss was fairly certain she wasn't out of breath because of the running they were doing. Finally, after what felt like an eternity (but was closer to only a minute) Ruby stopped in place. Weiss wasn't prepared for such an abrupt end to their little escape, and couldn't stop her momentum.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as Ruby turned to face Weiss, her grin slipping into comic surprise as Weiss's forward motion sent her careening into Ruby, sending them both crashing to the floor in a painful huddle of limbs. Weiss shook the cobwebs from her head before opening her eyes, and immediately feeling her face turn bright red. Ruby coughed for a moment, before opening her eyes.

Weiss was straddling the younger girl, their faces only inches apart, Weiss's hands planted on either side of Ruby's head to hold herself up. The redness on Weiss's face was reflected in Ruby's, her arms splayed out slightly as she felt her breath catch. This close to Weiss, the only thought running through her head was 'perfect'. Weiss's snow white skin was flushed, a cute scattering of red on her cheeks. But her eyes, her eyes were what had Ruby's thoughts fascinated. Those ice blue orbs were staring into her own, and it felt like straight inside her soul.

Weiss couldn't find it in herself to move. She'd never been this close to Ruby before, never realized exactly how fit Ruby really was. She could see the subtle lean muscles moving beneath Ruby's skin, and when her eyes trailed slightly downwards, could see that while she wasn't her sister, puberty had been kind to the younger girl. Her chest rose and fell softly, keeping Weiss's eyes pinned to them for a moment before they trailed lower. Weiss felt a clenching inside her as her legs noted the subtle firmness of Ruby's stomach as she straddled Ruby. A sudden shortness of breath hit her before snapping her shocked eyes back to Ruby's, realizing she had just been checking her partner out.

Something about the way Weiss had slowly ran her eyes down her body sent Ruby's head into a spin. She gulped when she noticed the way Weiss had paused as the heiress had stared at the redhead's chest, before meeting Weiss's eyes once more when her head snapped up to stare back at her. The air was oppressive between them, a heaviness on it that had them both frozen until a taunting voice shattered the stillness.

"Oh, should I leave you two alone?" Yang's voice rang out, amused. Her amusement deepened further at how quickly the two of them shot upright, Ruby moving so fast a few rose petals blew out into the air. Weiss was still in such shock she couldn't find the breath to reply to Yang, but Ruby's childish whine brought her back to earth.

"Yaaaaang!" came the cry from Ruby, her face still red and twisted in a childish pout. "It was an accident!" she proclaimed loudly, as Yang kept guffawing to herself. Weiss quickly brushed at her skirt and held her head high before marching proudly down the hallway away from the two sisters, who had begun tussling. Her stance fell as soon as she was out of eyesight though, unable to hold onto the illusion. The hallway she had wandered into was fully deserted, seldom used even during the week, much less the weekend.

Wrapping her arms around her midsection, Weiss leaned against the wall to catch her breath for a moment. Sliding down it, she found herself sitting on the floor, staring down at her crossed arms and unable to comprehend what had just occurred. Her skin was still tingling from being pressed so close to Ruby. A feeling she was not familiar with was settled in the pit of her stomach, making her feel queasy. Weiss didn't know what to think anymore. A thought flitted across her mind. Well, he did say he'd always be available…

* * *

Weiss found herself staring at the door marked 'Councilor' for five minutes straight. She couldn't convince herself to knock on the door. She had just turned to leave when a voice called out.

"You coming in Weiss? Or do you plan on freezing the entire hallway first?" Startled, Weiss looked down to see that her aura had caused ice to creep out from her, icing over the bottom edge of the door and continuing into the room. She swallowed, before opening the door to find Azure sitting at his desk, casually leafing through a magazine. He glanced up when she entered and smiled softly.

"Well, I hope that doesn't stain the carpet," he mused. Seeing the look of embarrassment on her face he immediately waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I was just kidding. I'm sure it'll be fine. Anyways, what's up?" Weiss blinked. When she had come to the office, she hadn't expected him to greet her in such a laid back fashion. Weiss sat in the chair, her posture ramrod straight, with her hands folded calmly in her lap. Azure tossed a small ball at the wall to his right, causing it to bounce off the wall, into the door, and then into a basket next to the door. The force of the throw caused the well-oiled door to shut. Weiss raised an eyebrow at him, which he replied with a shrug. "What can I say, I'm a bit lazy at times. Want something to drink?" At her silent negation, he shrugged and stood up. "I'm going to grab a drink from the fridge in my room. I'll be right back." Weiss appreciated the gesture, understanding he was giving her time to put her thoughts in order.

Sitting in the office, she let her eyes wander over the shelves. She hadn't paid attention to the décor when she had entered previously. Her eyes noted the warm wood paneling on the walls, the quiet nature scenes hanging from the walls. A cluttered bookshelf lay behind the desk, only about half full of books. The rest of the space was taken up by rolled up papers, a model of a Beowolf, what resembled one of Ruby's half-finished weapon projects, and what appeared to be a large round rock. A few small haphazard stacks of papers were scattered on the desk, along with a Scroll. Her musings were interrupted by Azure coming out of the door in the back, a bottle of fruit juice in hand. He took a relaxed seat at his desk and cocked his head at Weiss. She took a deep breath, then let it out once she realized she had no idea what to say. Azure leaned forward on his desk.

"Miss Schnee, if it makes you feel better to sit here in silence, I'd be happy to oblige. However, I get the impression that you have a lot on your mind, and I think it may be in your best interest to just let it out. Anything said stays between us, no matter what. Hell, even if you tell me you are a member of some secret apocalyptic cult dedicated to worship of a large skillet, I'd keep it between us. I'd think you were a nutcase, but I'd keep it between us." Azure's humor had the intended effect on Weiss, letting her relax slightly.

"Mr. Silva…are you acquainted with my father?"

Azure's gaze turned calculating for a moment, before he responded with deliberate casualness. "I know who he is. But I have never met him personally."

Weiss's expression hardened slightly, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. She just blurted out what she was thinking. "Don't spare my feelings Mr. Silva. We both know he's been horrible to lots of people and done some very questionable things. The face he shows to the public is this charming businessman, a strong capitalist, someone who donates to 'worthy' campaigns…but we know what he does to keep the business strong. I know how he treats the Faunus who work for him. I know what he's like, and I never want to be like him, but sometimes I feel like it's the only way to be me. I spent my childhood in a cold, rigid environment. I never had friends. I never really knew my parents, they spent so much time away, and when they were there, they weren't really. I was just a tool to my father! I was taught by tutors, and had everything handed to me, but I…I don't know how to do so many things. I learned how to cook, sing, fence, handle business matters, but I don't know how to…how to…I don't know how to FEEL!" Weiss fell back in her chair, the effort of saying that draining her.

Azure interlocked his fingers before his face, leaning forward as he did. "Well, first thing I'm going to say is don't call me Mr. Silva, please. Azure. I'm not even a decade older than you." He shot her a quick grin before his expression fell back to a solemn one. "Secondly…if I may ask, what is it you heard during the fight?"

Weiss's eyes went wide as she froze in place briefly. She shuddered for a second, her eyes dropping, before she starts whispering. "They kept going over my childhood. The voices weren't even insulting me, they just kept reminding me how alone I was. And singing, singing that stupid song to me. They kept telling me how I'd always be alone, and how I was going to become a pawn in my father's games. How I'd get married off to secure some stupid business alliance. Kept saying I would lose Ru-my team. How I'd lose my friends, they weren't real friends, they were just pretending or using me or pitying me. I'd be alone again. I'd be cold and alone. Telling me it was only a matter of time before Blake tried to stab me in my sleep, that the White Fang would find me. That fight on the train…that White Fang soldier with the chainsaw, when he spoke about killing me. There was so much hate in his voice, so much rage. It was like my very existence offended him. I'm just…I finally have friends. I finally have people who actually like me, even with how mean I am. And I'm so worried I'll drive them away." Azure silently handed Weiss a tissue, cluing her into the fact that she had tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Weiss, I'm not sure if you realized this, but I have your file right here." Azure patted his Scroll sitting next to his hand, bringing Weiss's attention to it. "This file contain your transcripts, teacher commentary, observations on your public interactions with your team, and videos of your sparring matches and whatever other fights the academy was able to document, such as your initial battles in the Emerald Forest. Would you like to know what these files tell me about you?" Weiss nodded hesitantly.

"Your grades and test scores show an individual with high intelligence. Videos of your sparring matches demonstrate someone driven, with a determination to defeat anything in their path. Multiple teachers comment on how hard you study, how eager a student you are. Oobleck's observations of you during the events preceding the breach incident are even more telling. He gave you a glowing recommendation, but cautioned that he felt you needed less caffeine as you seemed a bit high-strung." Weiss's expression twisted as though she was trying not to snicker. Azure let out a half laugh. "Yes, I am very much aware that is the pot calling the kettle black. And if you were ever curious, he was that bad when I was in school as well. But none of these reports hint at anything you just told me." Azure sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Weiss, you said you don't know how to feel. Since it's fairly obvious you have a lot of feelings locked up, I'm going to assume you mean you don't know how to express how you feel." Weiss nodded again.

"Well, the first step is deciding what it is you're feeling in the first place. You fear being alone, but that's to be expected. Hell, fear was the point of yesterday's lesson. You fear that your personality is going to drive away the only friends you've ever had, but Weiss, that's clearly not going to happen. If it was, they'd have left a while ago. Think about it. Yang would have tossed you out a window already if she couldn't put up with you…she's not exactly subtle about her anger, nor does she hide it well." Weiss giggled, unable to argue that point. Azure glanced over at Weiss, his tone shifting to a softer one. "It's not just loneliness, is it? What else is bothering you? Is it your unresolved feelings for Ruby?" Weiss's laugh was immediately choked off as she began coughing in sheer surprise, her face blazing red so fast she felt dizzy from the blood rush.

"Wha…what? Wait, what are you…I mean, uh, what?" Weiss stuttered out, unable to wrap her brain around what Azure had just said.

Azure's laugh rang out loudly in the small office. "Clearly too soon. I'm sorry, forget I said that." Getting his chuckles under control, he wiped at his eyes for a moment before taking a couple deep breaths. "How about you tell me if you feel any better, having got that off your chest?"

Weiss's brain managed to reboot itself, and she sat up straight again before nodding. "I…yeah. Yeah, it actually did, a bit."

Azure gave a little nod. "I will always listen to you Weiss. But, remember, I'm not the only one. Friends listen to friends. And you have a lot of good friends here, people who do care about you. They'll listen to you Weiss…and sometimes, your team is the best medicine out there, when it comes to feelings. That I say from experience." Weiss pondered his words for a moment, before standing up and walking towards the door. Her back to him, she paused before the door.

"Azure?" He glanced up at her back. "Thank you," her voice so quiet he had to strain to hear it. Opening the door, Weiss leapt backwards in shock to see a hand coming towards her head. Said hand was attached to the arm of one Ruby Rose, clearly just in the process of knocking. Ruby's face immediately went blazing red as she froze, looking anywhere but at Weiss. Weiss gaped for a brief moment, before shaking her head and sliding past Ruby, keeping her eyes on the ground so no one could see the flush that had just made its way onto her cheeks. Azure's cheerful voice rang out, snapping Ruby out of her frozen state.

"Ah, Miss Rose. Interesting coincidence there, wouldn't you say? Please, come in."


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby hesitantly stepped in, closing the door behind her and sitting, slouched, in the chair before his desk. Azure gave her a smile and held up his hand in greeting. "Ruby, one sec. Let me get something here…" standing up, he strode back to the door leading to his personal room, leaving Ruby to peruse the office much as Weiss had previously done. Curious about the round rock, she glanced at it, her brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what it was. Her study of the rock was interrupted by Azure's return, carrying a couple of bottles and a plate. Sliding the plate onto the desk in front of her, she immediately noted the chocolate chip cookies on it. "Catch!" he called out before tossing her a bottle. Her reflexes kicked in and she snatched the bottle from the air, noticing it was a bottle of milk. She glanced down at the plate before looking back up at Azure, who laughed. "Well, I knew you'd be visiting eventually. And if you didn't, hey, I like cookies too." As if to punctuate that, he snagged a cookie of his own and began eating it. Ruby smiled brightly before grabbing at the plate, downing three cookies in a second before pausing and looking sheepish. Azure just rolled his eyes with a kind smile and gestured at her to continue.

"So, Ruby-" whatever he had been about to say was interrupted by his scroll ringing. The look of consternation on his face at being interrupted made Ruby giggle quietly. He noted the name on the scroll and looked up at Ruby. "I'll just be a couple minutes." Hitting accept on the call and opening his scroll, he waved at the screen just as a high pitched screech sounded from it.

"BLUE-BOY!" came the call, making Azure facepalm.

"Dammit Onyx, I told you to stop calling me that!" Ruby couldn't see whoever it was, but she heard the giggle clearly.

"Oh c'mon brother, you know you like it. Whatcha dooooiinnggg?" her voice drawled out. Azure looked up to Ruby and smiled, hitting the mute button quickly.

"Ruby, would you like to say hi to my partner?" Ruby nodded meekly. Azure kept his smile on his face when he turned the sound back on. "I actually have a student in here with me. Here, say hi." Azure spun the scroll around. On the screen was the face of a woman, around Azure's age, with shiny black hair and dark blue eyes, and a nearly manic grin reminiscent of Nora's. Onyx waved excitedly before pausing, her eyes growing wide and her mouth dropping open, emitting a slight choking sound. Both Azure and Ruby looked at each other, a bit confused, before Onyx's hands jumped to her face and she made a 'squeee!' sound.

"Oh...my...god...YOUR HAIR IS SOOO PRETTY! OH YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Ruby's face went beet red as Azure facepalmed again. "Azure, Azure, oh my god, can I dye my hair like hers? Pretty please? I promise it'll last longer than-" a surprised 'yurk' noise could be heard, and Azure peeked out from his fingers to see Tanya's face in the scroll, holding her hand over Onyx's mouth.

"Sorry Azure, you know how she gets." Azure just sighed. Suddenly, the camera shuffled for a moment, breaking line of sight on the two struggling women, before being filled by pink hair. A moment of grunting and a face with brilliant pink eyes and neon pink hair smiled at the scroll. "Hey Azure! And hey kid! Which one are you? Are you one of the ones Tanya and Azure were messing with?"

Ruby looked at her, a bit confused, before stuttering out. "Y-yes. I'm Ruby."

The pink-haired woman grinned. "Well heya Ruby, I'm Magenta, or Maggie as they call me. Don't let Azure give you a hard time, if he gives you trouble just lemme know, I'll be sure to rough him up." Magenta flexed her arms, making Ruby giggle. She took a quick peek to see Azure, head firmly planted in his palms, sighing, before speaking through his fingers.

"What are you doing there Maggie? Thought you were still at home."

Maggie laughed, as the voice of Onyx yelled out from the side. "WE'RE HAVING A SONOGRAM PARTY!"

A loud cracking sound rang out, making Maggie glance to the side before laughing. "Did you REALLY just tie her up with your whip? I know you two have some kinky sex, but c'mon Tanya, is now the time?" Maggie ducked, a pillow flying through the air just as she dodged, followed by Tanya's voice admonishing Maggie for saying that in front of Ruby. Maggie chuckled, before turning back to the scroll. "Well, you heard Onyx. Although, I want it clear, I wasn't given much of a choice in the matter when she bodily dragged me here." Onyx's voice quickly shouted that it was a perfectly logical thing to do. "Anyways, yeah, we have the pictures here if you wanna see them bro." Azure lifted his head up and smiled at the camera while nodding, although Ruby noted it was a bit sad. Clearly Maggie noticed it too, her eyes narrowing at him for a moment before she held up a grainy black and white photo to the camera.

Ruby narrowed her eyes at the picture, her innate curiosity causing her to pipe up. "Um, where's the baby?"

Maggie's laughter could be heard from the other side of the picture, as her hand pointed to the spot where a small white blob could be seen. "Here it is Ruby. Baby is still small yet, long time to go before I even start showing. Hey, Azure, by the way, me and Turk talked it out. We want you to be the godfather." At the sound of an indignant shout from Onyx, Maggie glanced over at Onyx and smiled. "Apparently, so do the two knuckleheads." Another instance of Maggie ducking a pillow happened, her grin never leaving her face. Suddenly the scroll was yanked from Maggie's hands, before Tanya's face appeared again.

She took a deep breath before smiling softly at Azure, who seemed to be in a state of shock. "I guess it's our turn to show the picture, huh?" Not waiting for a response, Tanya held up a picture much like the one Maggie had shown. Ruby could clearly see the baby this time, even without the helpful pointing Tanya did. Tanya grinned around the photo, before noting the fact Azure still hadn't moved. Her laughter, much more subdued than Onyx or Magenta's, rang out, before she leaned back and mentioned something to the other two women. All three of them gathered together to stare at the flabbergasted Azure, giggling. Tanya stopped her laughter long enough to speak. "We'll leave you to your session with Ruby. We'll call later tonight brother. Bye!" All three waved before the scroll clicked off, leaving Azure staring at it dumbly.

Ruby cleared her throat, which seemed to snap him out of his shock, as she opened her mouth. "Um, I know I shouldn't ask this, but...I thought your family, you know...err…"

Azure's eyes softened for a moment as he looked off into the distance. "They did. But after the girls found out about it, and the way I felt about myself, they decided they were my family now, and I was their big brother, even though I'm only the eldest by a week. They gave me a family. So they are my sisters now, my family. Even Maggie's husband Turk calls me his brother-in-law, for all the fact I'm not legally related to any of them." Azure takes a deep breath, before turning back to look at Ruby. "But you didn't come here for this, entertaining though I'm sure my family is. What's up kiddo?" Ruby's fidgeting did not go unnoticed, and so Azure decided to do what he did best…instigate. Twirling a pen between his fingers, Azure spoke in an entirely too casual voice.

"Well? Wait, let me guess…is it your anger at your mother, your anger at Yang, your fear of yourself, your fear of losing those you love, or your crush on your partner?" Ruby's eyes grew huge as she stared at Azure, completely blank. The half-eaten cookie she had been holding fell from her hand to land on the edge of his desk, scattering a few crumbs across the desk. She squeaked out a barely understandable 'What?' before Azure smiled gently.

"You're probably wondering how I picked up on those particular things. Well, your crush on Weiss is fairly obvious, after watching Tanya and Onyx dance around each other's feelings for years. Your fear of yourself is exactly what the headmaster and I wanted you to feel from yesterday's lesson. As for the other things, well…I know those because I was in your shoes. So why don't you pick what you want to talk about?"

Ruby ducked her head for a moment, before looking back up, nervously. "Why did you keep the hood up?"

Azure nodded contemplatively. "Because, I wanted you to see yourself at your most terrifying. To the public, you look like a red reaper. A bringer of death. The scythe is one of the most dangerous weapons a huntsman can use, for many reasons. It's difficult to wield, hard to keep control of, and more than almost any other weapon, it incites great fear. And with your semblance added onto it, you become a red reaper, a whirlwind of blades and death. Your uncle long ago came to peace with how he would be perceived by the public. You too must come to peace with this. All hunters need to do this. Some hunters enjoy being feared. I think most of us would prefer otherwise…but this is the hand we were dealt when we chose this line of work. However, listen closely Ruby." Azure leaned forward, folding his arms on the desk and making sure Ruby was looking directly at him. "Do not let this image prevent you from doing your duty. How it is viewed by the public is unimportant. Because they need you. Your team needs you. And you are needed at your very best. Your best may be terrifying, but that is because it works. Don't let this lesson prevent you from fighting as you always have, because that sort of power is sorely needed in this world." Azure leaned back, nodding sharply as counterpoint to his words. He paused to let his words sink in. "Would you like to continue?"

Ruby smiled for a moment, but then her smile fell once more. "Why…why do you say I'm angry at my…my mom? Or Yang?"

Azure cocked his head at Ruby, raising one eyebrow in question. "Am I wrong?"

Ruby immediately raised her head as though she was going to refute that, but she saw something in his eyes that made her stop. She took a shuddering breath and fidgeted with her hands in her lap before speaking softly. "No. I guess you're not. I don't want to be angry. But she left me. She left me and didn't come back. I don't really remember her well either. I think…I think that makes me even angrier sometimes. I can't remember what she looks like. We only have a couple pictures of her. I can't even remember how she sounds. But…I shouldn't be angry at her! Its not right! I don't want to be mad at my mom…" No sound came from Azure. Locking her silver eyes with his green ones, she could see the understanding in them. "And Yang…she was like my mom after she died. Yang protected me, helped me. She still tries to. Sometimes a little too hard. But she promised me she'd never leave me. Promised me!" Ruby quickly wiped away a tear, hoping Azure wouldn't notice. Her volume had been steadily increasing over this speech, and at this point was nearly yelling. "But she almost died on that train! She almost left me too! She's not allowed to leave me, she promised!" Ruby's fist slammed into his desk, the impact stunning her for a second as she realized how loud she had been.

Azure simply handed her a tissue. "The room is soundproof Ruby. It's ok." Ruby's tears continued even as she giggled at that. "Ruby." The command in his voice had her looking back up at him. "Nothing is wrong with feeling that way. It's just something you have to learn to deal with too." Ruby began to argue that point, but halted when he put his hand up. "I know how you feel about your mother. I felt the same way for a long time. I loved her, but I was so angry at her for leaving me. Her, my father, my little sister…I was so angry, for so long. A part of me even wished they'd taken me with them." Azure paused, glancing at Ruby once more. "But in the end, I learned how to deal with it. No point in feeling guilty for feeling that way. You simply remind yourself of how much you love them. The same applies to your sister. It's obvious how much you two adore each other. Trust her, as she trusts you." Ruby kept her eyes lowered to the floor. "I'm not saying you have to instantly deal with these feelings. But take some time, think it over. Think about what I said. And if you need to, I will tell you the same thing I told Weiss," noting her instant twitch when he said the heiress's name, "Your friends love you, and they'd happily listen to you too. It's what friends do."

Ruby nodded, smiling slightly. "I guess you're right. Umm…you were talking to Weiss before I came in, yeah?" Her hopeful grin fell a bit at the deadpan look Azure gave her.

"Miss Rose, I did say anything said in this office remains between me and the person saying it. I will not tell you anything Weiss said." Ruby pouted, doing her best impression of a puppy dog with her eyes wide and pleading. Azure's expression didn't flicker. "Ruby, I lived with three teenage girls for four years. I have gained immunity to the power of the puppy eyes."

Ruby grumbled under her breath before giving off a great sigh. "Okaaaaay. Fine. Umm…is it ok if we stop here? I have a lot of homework to do still."

Azure waved off her explanation. "This is on your time Ruby. I'm free most of the time, as I said…don't have much else to do. Feel free to come and go as you please." Azure paused, taking a deep breath and puffing out his chest before putting on a deep sonorous voice. "I am here to provide sage advice, wisdom of the ages, and great council to young minds such as yourselves!" A glance at Ruby trying to hold her laughter in with her hand made him start laughing himself. "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to do that. Anyways, off you go. Wouldn't want to keep you from your studies, oh no." Ruby sighed at the thought, before heading for the door. She turned around and waved at Azure, who returned the gesture, before exiting the room and shutting the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

' _Why did I let her talk me into this?'_ Came Blake's thoughts, as she struggled to keep up with the blonde jogging effortlessly next to her. Her breathless pants seemed to amuse Yang, who kept shooting smug grins over at Blake.

"C'mon Blakey, keep up! This can't be that hard!" Blake's narrowed eyes only made Yang's smile grow. "Ok, let's take a little breather for little blakey-wakey," she cooed, coming to a stop.

Blake's glare persisted through her panting, before she managed to get her breathing under control. "Can it with the Blakey comments, blondie."

Yang's grin just got wider, and she nudged Blake's side as she winked. "Aww, you know you love me!"

Blake's eyes narrowed, before turning away with a slight blush on her face. She sighed to herself. ' _Why, oh why can't I stay angry with her?'_ Blake thought to herself. She just couldn't keep up her anger or annoyance with Yang when the blonde flashed that smile. It was like staring into the sun, impossible to ignore the light and warmth emanating from it. Impossible to not feel that same way every time Yang flashed her that smile. Her thoughts were interrupted when Yang threw her arm over Blake's shoulders, squeezing her close in a side-arm hug. Blake flushed at the contact, feeling Yang's omnipresent warmth from her semblance flooding into her. She felt a sudden unbidden urge to bury herself in the warmth and nap. Cursing her Faunus instincts, she pulled herself away from Yang. For a brief second, she saw a tiny flash of concern go across Yang's face, before her face went back to her smile. Blake took a second to steady herself, before deciding to just give back to Yang her own medicine.

"Yeah yeah blondie, no one can resist you," Blake drawled, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. Yang laughed heartily.

"Well of course they can't! I mean, look at this package! I got the guts, the looks, and the assets to draw in anyone!" Yang flexed, taking a classic bodybuilder pose, before winking at Blake and bouncing slightly, making it very clear what 'assets' she had meant.

Blake just gave her a deadpan stare. "Really, Yang? Really? Is that all you want people to think of when they think of you?"

Yang winked sidelong at Blake, before her smile faded and she took on a more serious expression, gazing off blankly into the distance. "Honestly Blake, I couldn't care less how people think of me. You guys know me, and that's all that matters. My family and friends are the only ones whose opinions will ever matter to me. The rest of the world can shove it. " Yang's statement threw Blake for a loop, making her blink rapidly. It always threw her for a loop when Yang showed this mature side of herself. It didn't make much sense to Blake, how the blonde could be such a party girl, and yet at times showed this hidden maturity. The more Blake saw this side of her, the more she wondered what else Yang kept buried under her outgoing 'fun' loving side. Maybe that was what let her handle yesterday so well. It was pretty obvious the blonde had taken the events of yesterday far better than the other three had. Yang shook her head slightly, as if to shake her thoughts from her head, and plastered that giant smile back on her face.

"Anyways kitty cat, lets pack it in! Let's hit the showers!" Yang posed, one hand on her hip and the other pointing back at Beacon, holding it only for a few seconds before she started giggling. Blake rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling at Yang's antics. Yang straightened up and started walking back to the building, before looking back over her shoulder at Blake. Blake watched as her grin suddenly turned a bit sultrier, before Yang spoke. "If you want, you can always join me in my shower." Yang spun back around quickly enough to miss how Blake's face went beet red, her thoughts following a decidedly less than clean turn. Noticing Yang's distance from her, Blake tried to banish the mental images her mind had seen fit to gift to her, quickly jogging a bit to catch up to Yang.

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, Ruby wasn't as naïve as others thought she was. You can't lose your mother to monsters, watch your father sink into depression, watch as you sister sets aside her own grief just to give you a mother, and remain naïve to the darkness in the world. No, Ruby wasn't naïve. What she was, was optimistic. She wanted better for the world. She wanted people to be happy. She never wanted people to go through what she did. She wanted to make a difference, to help people, and to try to make the world slightly brighter.

Since Ruby was not naïve, she knew exactly what had happened between her and Weiss earlier. She knew exactly what Azure had been getting at. She could still remember the feeling of Weiss straddling her, and how everything in her had burned when Weiss had checked her out with those piercing blue eyes. She remembered her breath getting caught, and that brief second they locked eyes, she saw something in Weiss's eyes she'd always wanted to see. Ruby had been stricken by how pretty Weiss was from the first moment they'd met, even with the heiress's rage directed at her. Truth be told, Ruby thought Weiss looked even prettier when she was angry.

At first, that's all it was. Ruby thought Weiss was pretty, and smart, but that was it. Nothing special, she was just a pretty, smart girl on her team. Until that day where Weiss had blown up at her, told her she was not worthy of being the leader…that killed Ruby. Inside she felt every bit of self-confidence she'd managed to build up with Yang's help wither and die, and she had worried so much about what Weiss had said that she approached Ozpin. What he said to her meant a lot, but it wasn't until later that night when Weiss had woken her that Ruby truly felt like herself again. That was when it happened. When Weiss had looked her in the eye and told her that she thought Ruby could be a good leader, her heart had leapt in her throat. Here was the smartest, prettiest, and richest girl Ruby had ever met, looking her in the eyes and telling her she was worth something.

That's when it first started. That one tiny spark burst into a fire inside Ruby, quickly making her fall head over heels for the prickly heiress. It took a while before Ruby even realized what it had meant, that feeling. It wasn't like she'd ever felt this way before…to be honest, she hadn't even known she was into girls until this had happened. Not like it mattered, she knew her dad and Yang wouldn't care. She wasn't sure if Weiss would care though. Not until today.

The day before had really ripped some of the scars on her heart off. Everything that had happened really hurt. What hurt the most though, was seeing how broken and hurt her team had been. She knew what had hurt Yang, but Weiss and Blake she only had guesses. Seeing Weiss unable to even study was so jarring. Seeing Blake unable to read was nearly as upsetting. This was her team, they were hurt, and she couldn't help them. She couldn't help herself. She was so shaken up she could barely breath. Yang to the rescue, just like when she was little. Yang had always set aside her own feelings to help Ruby out, and she did it once again for her team. Yang always protected Ruby, and now she had others to protect too.

One good thing came from yesterday though. Ruby was determined not to let opportunities pass her up. She knew she felt something for Weiss more than teammates, more than partners, more than friends. She had thought before that the heiress would never want her…not this little dork whose two years younger than her. But she saw the way Weiss had looked at her. That was a hint. That was a chance. And Ruby was going to take it.

Ruby's semblance was speed, but not just speed of the body. She thought fast. She reacted fast. She could adapt to changes quicker than a normal person. It did her no good to only be able to move fast if she couldn't make her mind think the moves through. Along with that came a slight hyperactivity, something that tended to annoy Weiss. It also meant she made up her mind nearly instantly. Ruby had a plan. A plan to see exactly how much of a chance she had with Weiss. Ruby was going to try something she'd read in a book Yang would _never_ have approved of. As Ruby neared her dorm room, her expression altered to a slightly wicked grin, before schooling her expression to be her normal smiling expression.

The sound of the door opening made Weiss look up from her studies, only to instantly look back down as soon as she saw the telltale red of Ruby's cloak. Ruby's voice sounded out.

"Heya Weiss!"

Weiss simply huffed at Ruby, keeping her eyes focused on the book in front of her as she spoke. "Took you long enough. Have you started on your essay on the founding of Vale for Professor Oobleck yet?" Weiss rolled her eyes before Ruby even spoke, already knowing the answer. Ruby would make some excuses up, stutter a bit, before begging for her help. Weiss would roll her eyes, lecture Ruby on her responsibilities as a team leader, and eventually cave when Ruby pulled out those damnable puppy dog eyes. She hated those, but her partner had somehow perfected them. Everyone fell for them. Weiss began counting in her head, waiting for Ruby's excuses to begin. But what Ruby ended up doing was so unexpected that Weiss completely froze.

Arms wrapped gently around Weiss's shoulders, surrounding her in the scent of roses as Ruby's head appeared over her left shoulder. Ruby tilted her head till her lips were nearly touching Weiss's ear, her voice soft. "I may need a little help with it. Do you mind?" Her warm breath passing over Weiss's ear making her shiver. Her skin felt hot, and she was very much aware of the feeling of Ruby pressed against her back as she leaned down. Weiss gulped, trying to catch her breath as it suddenly seemed too hot in the room. She could barely breathe, and every breath she took was filled with the familiar scent of roses. "Weiss?" _'How can she make my name sound that way? She's only fifteen!'_ Weiss's thoughts were so scattered, but the sound of her voice being repeated freed her from the spell Ruby had placed on her. She leapt up, nearly tripping over the chair she was on to spin around, her cheeks flushed.

"Ruby Rose! What the hell do you think you are doing?!" If Ruby hadn't been prepared for Weiss to leap up as she did, she would have been thrown to the ground. As it was, she was smirking. Ruby was smirking at Weiss. _Smirking!_ Weiss's anger instantly died as her heart nearly stopped at the sight of Ruby smirking, those silver eyes smoldering.

Ruby just stood, one hand on her hip, keeping their eyes locked with that damned smirk. "I was just asking my best teammate for a little help…is that so wrong?" Ruby cocked her head at Weiss, her smirk morphing into her patented puppy dog eyes and just destroying everything left of Weiss's sanity. The quick changes in Ruby's actions just threw her so far off pattern she couldn't understand.

"N-no. No. I can help you. I'll help you. Later. Much later." Weiss didn't think she'd ever stuttered that much in her life.

Suddenly Ruby leapt on her, hugging her, and she was Ruby again. Not this _other_ girl. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you soooo much Weiss!"

Weiss's mind managed to hit the reset button finally, and she put her normal glare back on just in time to push Ruby off her. "Ok enough Ruby! Let me finish my essay first." Ruby just grinning happily at Weiss, the return to normality settling Weiss's pulse enough for her to think. When Weiss turned her back on Ruby, she missed the devious smile Ruby directed at Weiss's back, before Ruby sat at her desk and pulled out her own homework.


	7. Chapter 7

This was it. Weiss was either going to die or go insane. At the tender age of seventeen, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company would be committed or buried soon. Possibly both. And on her headstone, it would say 'Death by massive heart attack caused by Ruby Rose'. Something like that. Weiss had no idea what the hell happened to Ruby that day, but suddenly, she was _different_. Whenever they were around other people, Ruby was her normal, hyperactive self. But the moment she and Weiss were alone, or perceived alone, this new Ruby would come out. She'd sit closer, lean in further, make sure to wink and smirk at Weiss all the time. And it was driving Weiss insane! Every time Ruby did that, the heiress's heart would speed up, her face would flush, and she'd find it so much harder to breath. Ever since that moment in the dorm where Ruby had gotten _way_ too close, Weiss was finding it harder and harder to keep her mental balance.

The second incident had been in Professor Port's class, the first day back to class after that weekend. He was droning on as per usual, as most of his class slept and Weiss was attempting to take notes, when Ruby dropped her pencil between herself and Weiss. The heiress had thought nothing of it, even as Ruby had bent down to retrieve it, but the second she felt Ruby's nails gently sliding down her leg her thoughts ground to a halt. Her breath halting, she looked down wide eyed to see Ruby smirking up at Weiss, those hands slowly moving down towards her pencil, before she winked. _Winked!_ Ruby Rose was not _allowed_ to wink at her like that! When she had finally reached the pencil, she slowly dragged it back up, the back of her knuckles brushing lightly against Weiss's uncovered leg. As soon as Ruby had fully straightened and had her pencil back in hand, that devious little smirk had vanished off her face, replaced with her normal cheery expression. She grinned brightly at Weiss, not one trace of that other Ruby left, leaving Weiss completely unable to pay attention to anything for the rest of class. Her leg had tingled for hours afterwards.

That incident, and the one from days before, were weighing heavily on Weiss's mind as she practiced. Ruby and Weiss were in one of the many training rooms in Beacon. Weiss was practicing her fencing with Myrtenaster, and Ruby had previously said she was going to work out some before heading off to the locker room to change. Weiss had paid no heed of this at first, until she heard the blaring music from behind her. Knowing Ruby's predilection for blasting metal music while she worked out, Weiss sighed before spinning around, ready to demand Ruby turn that down, but the lecture Weiss had was immediately choked off as her eyes went wide. Ruby was jogging on the treadmill. In skintight shorts and a sports bra. _A sports bra!_ Ruby always wore a shirt when she worked out! Weiss couldn't keep her eyes off Ruby's form. Without meaning to, her eyes slowly scanned Ruby's entire body, from her ankles, sliding up over her thighs, the curve of her waist, her _abs?!'When did Ruby get those?!'_ Weiss's mental state was becoming increasingly unhinged as she felt something tugging inside her lower abdomen, but she couldn't stop looking at Ruby. Her eyes reached that damned dark red sports bra and couldn't help but notice how well built the younger girl truly was. She wasn't Yang, but she certainly filled that bra out. Weiss briefly wondered what was under that bra, before she tore her eyes away from the temptation underneath and continued looking up, only to see Ruby giving her that look again. Those eyes, normally a brilliant shining silver, looking more like storm clouds as Weiss's ice blue eyes met hers. Slowly, not even panting for breath as she kept running, Ruby gave her that smirk.

Weiss was pretty sure she was going to lose it soon, but thankfully Ruby looked away from her, breaking the spell she was under. Placing a hand to her chest as she heaved in a breath, she dimly heard the sound of the treadmill shutting down, but it wasn't until she heard a loud clang that she spun back around again. She cursed herself in her own mind as her body froze once more, watching as Ruby was swinging around on the uneven bars. It had never occurred to Weiss before, but Ruby was naturally very athletic, and very prone to contorting herself into flashy flips and dashes with Crescent Rose. The logical part of Weiss's mind could understand why Ruby would train on them, but that part was completely ignored by the rest of Weiss's mind as she tried to comprehend the sight before her. _'Oh god…why is she so…ugh!'_ Weiss's mind was so scattered she simply could not think of how to respond to this sight. And every time Ruby would swing around so she could see Weiss, she had on that smirk! Weiss wasn't sure if she wanted to slap that smirk off Ruby's face or maybe kiss-wait, what? Weiss shook her head, trying to banish the scattered thoughts that were playing havoc with her strictly organized mind.

"Something wrong, partner?" Ruby's voice called out, dragging Weiss out of her thoughts. Ruby had, at some point during Weiss's mental spacing, dropped off the bars, grabbed herself a water bottle, and had a towel around her neck. Weiss's brain was still playing catchup to the present, as she kept staring at Ruby who was currently draining half the bottle of water in one go. Making a loud satisfied sound as her lips left the bottle, Ruby cocked her head at Weiss and smiled, all traced of that smirk gone, replaced with the more familiar innocent look that Ruby had seemingly perfected. With the return to a more well-known Ruby, Weiss finally managed to get her breath back. Well, kind of.

"N-no. Nothing's wrong! I'm perfectly fine, dolt!" Weiss turned her nose up at Ruby, standing tall and proud. But when she looked down and saw Ruby pouting, all of the poise she had managed to regain drained straight out of her as she gaped, thoughts running a mile a minute. _'She's not allowed to look like that either! Dust, she looks like a kicked puppy! This isn't fair!'_ Weiss had no idea what she was even calling unfair, but with the way her brain had seemingly rebelled on her, she didn't particularly care. She tried to call back her stern glare, but one glance at those puppy dog eyes broke her completely.

"S-stop that! Stop pouting this instant Ruby Rose!" In a rare show of childishness, Weiss stomped her foot on the ground and fumed at Ruby. The pout on Ruby's face faded, as she began to giggle at Weiss's actions.

"Ok Weiss. As you wish. I'll just hit the showers. See you in the dorm!" Ruby waved nonchalantly behind her as she walked off in the direction of the showers, swaying her hips ever so slightly. She could feel Weiss's gaze on her, and let that dark grin spread across her face again.

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was not the type to sit around and wait for things, nor was she the type of person who second guessed herself. When she decided something, that was it. Decisions in her life were made mostly on whims and boredom, but some decisions she couldn't leap into headfirst. She seldom, if ever, wanted to know what tomorrow would bring. But once in a while, she had to plan ahead. This, probably qualified as one of those times. Yang had two things she had to do, and she had to be sneaky about it. First, she had to corner her sister, and ask her what the hell was going on between her and Weiss. Yang noticed a lot more than she let on. She noticed how much more Weiss blushed in Ruby's presence, how Ruby had started to stare at Weiss when she thought no one was watching, and especially had noticed that grin Ruby had started to get. It gave Yang a jolt to see what she thought of as her own pranking grin on her little sister's face…but the blonde was pretty sure that it wasn't pranks Ruby was up to.

The biggest indicator though, was the time team RWBY was walking to class, and Ruby had skipped ahead like normal, but this time she had added a sway to her hips. A sway that Yang had perfected herself, but had never seen Ruby do. No way would her sweet and innocent little sister start walking like that, unless…Yang had glanced casually to her left to see the heiress's eyes glued on Ruby's backside. It had taken every ounce of her not inconsiderable self-control to avoid confronting the two of them right there and then, but Yang decided it was better to just catch Ruby alone and make her spill. Big sister powers meant she would have no issues convincing Ruby to speak, that she was sure of.

That however, had to wait until she could get Ruby alone. Which led Yang to number two on her to-do list…figuring out how to get Blake Belladona in her bed. Ok, it was a little crude, but Yang was a physical person, one who enjoyed expressing her affection for people physically. And she felt some rather strong affection towards her partner. She wasn't entirely sure when she started to see Blake as someone other than a friend, but it had been building for a while, and Yang was not the type to try to hide from her feelings. She broke her feelings down as simple as possible, and embraced them head on. Yang liked Blake. So, she just had to figure out how to catch a kitty cat.

A lot of people thought Yang was just a bumbling blonde oaf, and she could see why. She didn't exactly present herself as the most complicated person. Mostly because she simply didn't want to be complicated. She wanted a life of freedom, adventure, and simplicity. None of that meant she was stupid, however. Just as she'd noticed Weiss's blushing around Ruby, she noticed the way Blake blushed around her. She noticed how Blake would subconsciously move closer to Yang when she was cold, and how the faunus girl would have to stop herself from cuddling into Yang's side sometimes. Didn't take a genius to see what that meant.

Yang had thought about just confronting Blake, but it didn't seem like that would work as well. Blake wasn't the most open about her feelings, and Yang's normal charge in guns blazing approach would probably just scare her off. Sometimes Yang wondered if it was a family trait…considering Ruby's obvious feelings for the heiress, who was even more emotionally stunted than Blake was, maybe the ladies in her family simply had a predilection for the complicated and fairly emotionally troubled ones. Yang had to look at this the right way, lay out the trap, and close it from just the right way. Which meant one thing…Yang had to show Blake that she cared without saying it. Maybe if she warmed Blake up to the thought, she could get Blake to open up, and then she'd take her shot. For now though, time to do what Yang did best…needling her teammates.

"Honey, I'm hoooommee!" Yang's cheery voice called out as she kicked open the dorm door, nearly knocking it off its hinges as she sauntered into the room. A screech of rage, a barely audible chuckle, and a quiet sigh informed her that all three of her teammates were in the room already.

"What do you think you are doing you blonde oaf?!" Came the beginning of an angry rant from the heiress, currently trying to reorganize the papers that Yang's entrance had knocked off her desk. Before she could get any further in her tirade, Ruby had grabbed all the papers and reordered them neatly instantly with her semblance, before handing them to Weiss with a smile. The gesture had broken Weiss's concentration for a brief moment, long enough for Ruby to distract Weiss with a question about her homework. Yang caught Ruby's eye and mouthed 'thank you' to her, getting a wink in return. Yang swung the door shut and dropped her school bag by the dresser, before sauntering over to where Blake was seated on her bed and dropping down next to Blake.

"What are you doing, Yang?" Came Blake's questioning voice, eyebrow raised. Yang smiled softly at Blake before pointing at the book currently in Blake's hands.

"Was wondering what you were reading, and if maybe I could read it when you were done." Silence. Not a peep could be heard in the room for a few seconds, before the sounds of uproarious laughter broke the air. Ruby's expression had gone from blank to utterly confused, staring at her partner who was laughing her head off. Blake and Yang also were staring at Weiss, worried she had lost her mind. Weiss's laughter quieted enough for her to get a few words out.

"You, read? Willingly? For fun? Oh Yang, that's the first funny thing you've said yet!" Weiss went back to laughing, Blake and Ruby chuckling along with her before noticing Yang wasn't smiling at all. Weiss looked at Yang, dumbfounded. "You can't be serious!"

Yang shrugged and looked towards Blake. "Blake's my partner. As a good partner, I should try to take an interest in what she finds interesting. She puts up with my hobbies without complaining. So I should check hers out."

The bow on Blake's head was twitching as her face flushed a light red. "Um…well, this is the last book in a trilogy. I can give you the first book if you'd like to read it."

Yang's smile grew wider as she nodded happily at Blake. "Sure partner! And I promise I'll take good care of it!" Blake reached down to the pile of books sitting by the side of her bed and pulled up one with a picture of a golden dragon on the cover.

Blake held it tightly for a moment before holding it out for Yang to take. "See that you do. It's…important to me."

Yang nodded at Blake, her expression serious, before hopping up and placing the book on her bed. "Well, gonna get a shower first, then I'll give it a shot. Thanks kitty cat!" Yang grabbed her pajamas off the dresser and stepping into the shower, whistling as the door shut behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

_'This is so awesome!'_ Ruby thought to herself, laying back on her bed late at night. The soft sound of her teammates breathing was the only noise to pierce the darkness of the late hour as she let her mind wander. Ruby took in a deep breath, feeling her smile only grow on her face as she thought back to the past week. She loved seeing Weiss to flustered, so unable to think straight. Something about the fact the most beautiful girl Ruby had ever seen finding her, the still young leader of team RWBY, attractive sent Ruby's confidence skyrocketing. She had been finding it easier to talk to people, to speak her mind, to raise her hand in class and give her opinion on things. Ever since she started this _game_ with Weiss, she'd felt so much stronger. Not to mention the burning within herself she felt every time Weiss's eyes landed on her with that one look in the heiress's eyes, especially when she gave Weiss that smile. Ok, it was a smirk, one she'd learned from watching Yang, but still. It clearly worked on Weiss.

She'd made sure she wasn't always doing it though. Too much and Weiss might get used to it. Besides, Ruby wanted to be sure Weiss liked her normal dork self too. It was still her, this 'other' Ruby. Just a more confident Ruby. And maybe one who had read a couple of books of Blake's that Blake thought no one knew about. Ok, more than a couple. Maybe Blake's entire collection of books she kept hidden under her bed. She put them back after she was done! And maybe the Ruby who paid attention to how Yang acted when she wanted someone to notice her. Ruby wasn't as innocent as everyone liked to believe. Placing her hands behind her head, Ruby closed her eyes and thought back to her favorite moment of the week.

_She was at lunch with her team and JNPR, half-listening to another wild tale from Nora, with Ren making quiet corrections. Weiss was directly to Ruby's left, ignoring everyone around her as she scribbled some notes down for her next homework assignment. Ruby always found it so endearing how Weiss would jot down reminders of possible essay topics for future essays, even if the heiress had no idea if she would ever need the idea. Weiss's uneaten salad lay forgotten as she continued to write, her concentration unbroken even as Nora slammed her fists into the table in her excitement. Such disruptions were so commonplace no one was surprised. Yang was…reading? Ruby was still a bit perturbed at the way Yang had been so deeply engrossed in that book series Blake had given her to read. Still, it meant she could worry less about Yang catching on to her plan. Ruby was pretty sure Yang would not approve._

_"Weiss?" Ruby asked, her voice quiet enough so only Weiss could hear her. A grunt was the only response she got from the heiress, her attention focused on the notebook in front of her. "Weiss, you need to eat. You didn't eat breakfast either." Weiss continued writing, completely ignoring Ruby's quiet plea. Ruby sighed, and quick as a flash, snatched Weiss's pen from her hand. Weiss continued to make the motions as though she were writing for a second, before her brain caught up to the missing pen and she turned to glare at Ruby._

_"Dolt! What do you think you're doing?" Weiss kept her voice down, not wanting anyone else to notice the two of them arguing. Neither of them noted the way Blake's bow twitched, slightly turning in their direction. Ruby glared back at Weiss, holding her pen up before placing it on the table to her right, so that Weiss would have to reach around Ruby to get it._

_"Weiss, you gotta eat! You barely eat as is, and I'm not having my partner starve herself!" Weiss's glare didn't relent in the slightest, leaving Ruby with only one option. Her secret weapon…her pout. "Please Weiss?" Doing her best impression of a sad puppy, she watched as Weiss's glare faded instantly. The heiress tried her best to resist, but that look broke her and she huffed, grabbing her fork and stabbing it into the salad, taking a chunk of lettuce and shoving it angrily into her mouth before swallowing. She turned back to Ruby in time to see Ruby's pout change to a soft smile. "Thanks Weiss."_

_"D-dunce! I didn't do it for you." Weiss looked away from Ruby, but when she felt pressure on her hand she glanced back down to see Ruby's hand sitting on top of hers, holding her pen. Weiss gulped as Ruby gently flipped her hand over to be palm up, before placing the heiress's pen back in her hand and closing her fingers over it. Weiss looked up to stare into Ruby's eyes, an inscrutable expression on her face as Ruby's hand still rested over Weiss's. A nudge into Weiss's side from Blake made her instantly swivel around to look at Blake, Ruby's gaze following hers. Blake glanced at their joined hands before coughing and looking over at the rest of the table, who were staring at the conjoined hands of the two silently. A blush spread across both of their faces, as they ripped their hands apart as though they were on fire._

_"What are you all staring at?!" Weiss nearly shrieked. Quickly, everyone turned away with a far too innocent to be believed look on their faces, Nora whistling very conspicuously. The only one who hadn't turned away was Yang, who had her narrowed eyes looking at the two from over the rim of the book in her hands._

Ruby held her left hand up before her face, marveling at it and how she still imagined she could feel Weiss's skin underneath it. The heiress's pale skin was smooth as silk, and cool to the touch, just as Ruby had imagined it would be. But it was also far softer than she had thought. The thought of holding her hand more kept playing in her head, but it swiftly took a turn for the intimate as she wondered if all of Weiss's skin was that soft to the touch. Ruby's face heated up to a nearly unbearable level as her mind refused to let go of that thought, letting her imagination run wild. Ruby flipped over to bury her face in her pillow and sighed into it, trying to relax enough to sleep.

 _'Soon. I'll ask her soon. I have to know.'_ Ruby's thoughts trailed off as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Yang sung her favorite Achieve Men song to herself as she walked down the hallway to the nearest training room, ready to smash some training dummies. As she reached the door, she paused before opening it, hearing sounds of someone else hitting the dummies. She mentally shrugged to herself…she preferred to train alone, but sharing the room was fine. Pulling the door open, she swaggered in, looking around to see who was training. Her eyebrow raised at the sight of what appeared to be Azure, swinging some type of one handed blade around as he slid between three training dummies. Another mental shrug hit Yang…she hadn't seen any of the teachers training before, but she assumed they had to at some point. She wandered off to another group of training dummies and began her pre-training stretches, making sure she was loose and limber. As she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, throwing a few test punches out at the air, she kept one eye on Azure, curious how he fought.

For a moment Yang was confused. He barely actually attacked with the blade, he namely dodged around, once in a while raising the blade as though he were blocking or deflecting a blow, but seldom did he actually swing it around. Something about his stance and the motions he was going through felt…familiar. _'That's it! He fights like that stupid Neo girl!'_ Her eyes widened, before she called out to him. "Hey, yo, Mr. Silva!"

He paused in his motion, letting his blade drop to his side before pushing his hair out of his eyes to glance over at her. "Miss Xiao Long. I didn't hear you come in. My apologies. Do you need something?"

Yang nodded. "Wanna spar Mr. Silva?"

He raised an eyebrow at Yang, slightly confused. "Firstly, please, Azure. Mr. Silva makes me feel old. Secondly, why would you want to spar with me?"

Yang shrugged, trying to pass it off as nonchalantly as possible, but his unamused stance made it clear he didn't believe her. Yang sighed. "Did you hear about what happened at Mountain Glen?"

Azure nodded. "Yes, I read the reports. What about it?"

Yang looked down at the floor, pride warring with practicality for a moment before looking back up. "I got my ass kicked, that's what. That Neo freak beat me without breaking a sweat. The way you fight reminds me of her."

"How so?"

"She only actually went on the offense at the end of the fight. The whole time, she kept dancing around, just pushing me to the side or blocking my blasts with that stupid umbrella of hers."

Azure nodded, his expression carefully neutral. "And how did she end the fight?"

"Well, she kinda leapt on top of me and did this weird throw, slamming me into the ceiling. Knocked me out cold." Yang muttered the last parts, looking anywhere but at Azure.

"Ok. We'll spar." Yang's head snapped up, her eyes wide. She hadn't been expecting that answer. He just looked at her blankly, then jerked his head over to the nearby arena before spinning around on his heels and walking over to it, the slender black blade resting on his shoulder. Yang shook her head before flexing her fists, triggering Ember Celica to extend and heading off to the arena. Azure took the one side, before saluting her as she stepped in the ring, and taking a relaxed stance, blade pointing at the ground. "Whenever you're ready, Yang." Yang nodded. Kneeling down slightly, she pushed off the ground, leaping into the air to start blasting with Ember Celica. Every shot deflected by the blade in Azure's hands, she used another shot with her arms facing behind her to propel her at him.

Azure planted the blade in front of him, his off-hand holding the blade by the flat side, letting it intercept Yang's punch. Barely twisting the blade to the side, he let Yang's fist slide off the blade, forcing her to follow through on her momentum. Yang wasn't deterred, and let the momentum spin her around to come back with a quick back elbow, followed by a series of jabs. Each move intercepted by the flat of the blade as he spun it around and back, at one point tossing it up in the air to go for a leg sweep. Yang leapt over it without an issue as Azure caught his blade again, swiftly using it to block the shot Yang tried to sneak in from Ember Celica. Yang came in with a roundhouse kick, ducked by Azure, before throwing out a strong right hook aided by a blast from her gauntlets. A quick swing of his blade to tap on the side of Ember Celica moved her fist just barely past his face.

The two combatants fell into a rhythm, a dance of war that all hunters were familiar with. Yang was starting to get into it, noticing with her keen eyes the similarities between the way Neo and Azure fought, and the differences. Azure used as little movement as possible to deflect her blows, whereas Neo had been flashier about it, doing flips and leaps when it really wasn't necessary. Time got away from the two of them, until the clacking of Yang's weapon informed them she was out of ammo. Both paused at the sound, blinking in mild confusion until the realization set in. Yang chuckled as Azure smiled, both panting for breath. Azure walked on over to the nearby bench and sat down, reaching underneath for a small gym bag. Pulling out a water bottle, he tossed it over to Yang before pulling out a second and taking a deep draw from it. Yang plopped down on the bench next to him, taking a moment to rub the bottle over her face to cool herself off.

"Well, if you're curious, I think I know why you lost…and better, how you can win next time" Yang froze in place for a moment, before lowering the bottle to her lap and giving Azure her full attention. "You know, I have to learn how you guys fought to give that lesson. I've always had a talent for learning new styles…I think it's due to my semblance, the whole changing myself to be someone else. I can adapt to new things extremely quickly. But your fighting style was by far the most difficult for me to grasp onto."

"How does this have anything to do with how I lost?"

Azure just gave Yang a sidelong glance. "Patience, grasshopper. Wisdom will come to you in time." He intoned, making Yang roll her eyes with a smile. Grinning, he continued. "I had three weeks to learn. In that time, it took me over ten days to learn yours alone. Weiss and Blake's, they were fairly easy for me to pick up. I've had quite a bit of practice with blades, and especially fencing. I'm also mainly a dust mage, so Weiss's style was something I'm very familiar with. Blake's ribbon tricks with Gambol Shroud took me a bit, but it's not entirely different from the way I use one aspect of my weapon." Rolling his wrist over so Yang could see, he pointed at a black cylinder strapped to the underside of his forearm. "This holds a strong wire that latches onto the bottom of my sword. I can throw my sword at something and pull myself to it, like a grappling hook. Pretty useful in areas with a lot of places to grab onto. So, it wasn't so different from Blake's weapon in that way." Azure pauses for another drink before continuing.

"Ruby's took some getting used to. Had to call your uncle for some tips. But in the end, I was able to get the basics without too much fuss, with his help. But what threw me off with you was the way it seemed like your style completely contradicts your semblance."

"Huh?" Yang looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, your semblance is at its strongest when you've taken some serious hits, right?" Yang nodded. "In other words, your semblance is more reactive than proactive. It's much more powerful after the fight has gone on for at least a little while. But you always start fights going in guns blazing, trying to overwhelm your enemy with sheer power right from the get-go. I would have thought you'd want to rely on your natural endurance to let the fight drag on for a while, so you are at your most powerful. But then I got it. You go in as strong as possible to force your enemy to react the same way. They have no choice but to try to hit you hard, and then you can hit them back harder. Pretty clever when you think about it." Yang's expression shifted to a smug one as she flexed her arms in a classic bodybuilder pose. Azure chuckled for a moment.

"Anyways, what got you in trouble with Neo, if she fights like I do as you say, is that she and I rely on a purely patient style. Going completely defensive allows me to wait for the enemy to make a mistake, and capitalize on it. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say what she did was wait until she had you angry and not thinking straight, before taking the chance to knock you out instantly. She probably knew what your semblance does, and waiting until you'd drained enough of your own aura from trying to beat on her, so she could put you down in one blow, not giving your semblance time to take hold. So my suggestion is this…let her."

Yang blinked. "How the hell is that supposed to help me?"

Azure tossed his empty water bottle back in the bag, zipping it up before standing up. "Leave an opening a smart opponent would want to take advantage of. Be ready for them to try. Soon as they do, you have them. If she had tried that throw on you when you were ready for it, and could get your aura up in time, would it have knocked you out? Or would it have just set your semblance off?"

Yang cocked her head to the side, picturing the fight again in her mind. "I guess I'da been fine. I wasn't expecting to hit the roof, so it kinda threw me off."

Azure nodded sharply at her. "Or, you could have simply grabbed her leg yourself, and then she would have had no chance to dodge you. All you needed was your one chance for her to make a mistake. Give her what she thinks she wants, and that's when you strike."

Yang nodded slowly, letting his words sink in. "Thanks Azure. Appreciate it! Kinda surprised you didn't try to go all psychologist on me though, talk about my feelings or whatever."

Azure shrugged. "I got the impression you have that covered. Seems to me you have your head on pretty straight. Of course, if I'm wrong, feel free to correct me. As I said, office is always open. Anyways, I'm gonna hit the showers. Have a good one, Yang." Azure gave a quick wave with his hand as he walked off, leaving Yang sitting on the bench, thinking.

* * *

Blake's ears picked up the sound of muttering outside her dorm, but did her best to ignore it. She finally had some alone time, and she had taken advantage of it with one of her favorite books that she didn't read when the others were around. _'I wonder what Yang would say if she read this book?'_ She pondered to herself, blushing slightly at the thought. Thinking of the blonde led her thoughts to stray from her book and to the strange behavior of Yang over the past week. She'd been unusually courteous to the faunus, making sure to refill her cup with milk every time she ran out, getting her lunch before she sat down, and generally being quiet around her when she was reading.

 _'I really wonder what is up with her. She's being so different lately…it's a little unsettling.'_ Blake wasn't used to Yang acting so…passive. It wasn't like the brawler at all. Yang's fiery semblance fit her so very well. She was passionate about everything she did, and seeing her so out of character made Blake a little concerned. She only acted this passively when something was wrong, as far as Blake knew. _'Maybe I should talk to her about it?'_ Her thoughts interrupted again by the sound of something hitting the wall outside her dorm hard, making her jump slightly. She glared at the door, quickly retying her bow over her ears with an ease born from years of practice, before marching to the door and opening it.

Seeing Jaune leaning against the wall outside her dorm, his head the only thing holding his body upright, had Blake quirking an eyebrow.

"Jaune? What are you doing?"

Jaune just sighed, slumping against the wall dejectedly before turning around to lean against it. "I don't know how to tell my team."

"Tell them what?" Jaune didn't respond, just handed Blake a folded piece of paper, stamped with the Beacon symbol. Blake unfolded it, reading aloud its contents. "Mr. Arc, inform your team. At tomorrow's sparring class, your team will undergo Mr. Silva's test. Signed, Glynda Goodwitch." Blake paused for a moment to think about what the note said, before her eyes went wide.

"Oh."


	9. Chapter 9

Team RWBY followed silently behind team JNPR, exchanging a worried glance at the sight of their friends so rattled. Watching the 'lesson' from the arena stands had been different, to say the least. When they were dealing with the impact of the fights, they had been too disturbed to really pay much attention to how it had effected the other members of their team. But this view was rather unsettling.

Jaune seemed to have taken it the best. He simply looked resigned, more than anything else, his focus mostly on his partner, who was currently nursing a sprained ankle as she used him as a crutch. Whatever Tanya's semblance had done to her had sent her into a frenzy, refusing to quit even after her aura had dropped into the red. She had kept attacking wildly, screaming incoherently, until she ended up tripping and twisting her ankle. That one moment was the most shocking for the onlookers, because Pyrrha Nikos did not trip. But now she was trudging next to Jaune, her arm tossed over his shoulder as he tried his best to support her weight, since she had steadfastly refused to go to the infirmary.

Ruby's eyes trailed away from Jaune and Pyrrha to the other two members of JNPR, even more worried for those two. Nora had been silent since her loss, refusing to speak or raise her head. She never lifted her head from the ground, barely shuffling along. The only thing seeming to keep her upright was Ren's arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Ren himself seemed the most rage filled of them all, his eyes flashing with a mad gleam and his teeth bared at anyone who came near Nora. It was such a departure from his normal character that no one really knew how to deal with it. One of his guns still rested in his free hand, and Yang kept a careful eye on where his trigger finger was sitting. At one point, Velvet came rushing down the hallway in the opposite direction, her books piled high in her arms and obstructing her vision. The rabbit-eared faunus nearly brushed up against Nora, and only Yang's swift dash forward to grab onto Ren's wrist kept him from trying to shoot Velvet, the faunus not even noticing the close call as she continued on to wherever she was off to in such a hurry.

Ren's pink eyes glared directly into Yang's lilac ones, but she did not back down. With a stern look, Yang shook her head at Ren slowly, making sure to keep eye contact. "Ren." Her quiet voice, admonishing, seemed to pierce the veil of his rage for a moment. The glare faded as Ren took a deep breath, before retracting the gun into his sleeve. Nodding to Yang, he shifted his grip on Nora's waist as Yang released his hand, looking up at the sound of their dormitory door opening to see Jaune and Pyrrha enter. Team RWBY followed JNPR into their dorm, making sure to close the door securely behind them. Ruby exchanged another glance with Weiss and Blake, unsure what to do. The lost looks in both Blake and Weiss's eyes made her realize none of them really had any idea how to help their friends, until Yang clapped her hands loudly, getting everyone's attention, save Nora who still refused to look up.

"Ruby. Go get our blankets and pillows from our room and bring them back. Blake, Weiss, would you two go to the cafeteria and pick up something for dinner? Get some drinks too. We're eating in here. Ren, where does Nora keep her pajamas?" Ren looked confused at Yang for a moment, before pointing at a messy pile of clothes by Nora's bed. Yang snatched up a t-shirt and pair of pajama pants from the pile, before gently removing Ren's arm from Nora's side and giving Nora a tiny push towards the bathroom, dumping the clothes in her arms. Yang turned around to see the remaining members of her team and JNPR looking at her, rather confused, before she sighed and placed her head in her palm, one hand on her hip. "We're staying here for the fight. We'll sleep on the floor. Ren, Jaune, you two go change into your pajamas. Don't worry, we won't look. Pyrrha, you can change after Nora, I'll help you into the bathroom. C'mon guys, get a move on."

"Won't we get in trouble being over here?" Weiss asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Yang shook her head. "Nope. I cleared it last night with Ozpin." Weiss's stance slackened for a moment, confused, as Blake stepped forward.

"But, by the time I told you, it was really late. He was still in his office?"

Yang waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, but Azure was. He has Ozpin's number, asked him to call."

Pyrrha's quiet voice rang out from the corner, without looking up from the floor as she sat on the edge of Jaune's bed. "Why?"

Yang just looked at Pyrrha blankly, clearly confused by the question. "Because. You're my friends. I'm going to be here for you. And so are the rest of us. We're all here for you." Yang was interrupted by Nora's return from the bathroom, still with her head down, dressed haphazardly in her pajamas. Yang grabbed Nora by her shoulders and gently pushed her towards Nora's bed, gesturing at Ren to get up. Nora simply lay face down on the bed, no sound from her made. "Ok, now, as I said. Ren, Jaune, change into your pajamas. Ruby, Blake, Weiss, please, go do what I asked. Pyrrha, c'mere, let's get you changed. Where do you keep yours?" Jaune picked up a tank top and shorts from a pile on the other side of Pyrrha's bed and tossed them to Yang, who went over to the amazon and helped lift her up from her bed. Walking her to the bathroom, she helped Pyrrha in and closed the door, keeping her back towards Ren and Jaune. Ruby disappeared in a flurry of rose petals, as Blake and Weiss shared a look before leaving the room.

"Yang?" Came the sound of Jaune's voice amidst the rustling noises coming from him and Ren as they dressed.

"Yeah?"

"…thank you."

"Don't thank me. This is what friend's do Jaune. We look out for each other." A knock from the bathroom door signified Pyrrha's readiness to come out, triggering Yang to ask if the boys were done. A soft affirmative from Ren had Yang opening the door, assisting Pyrrha again as she turned around to see both boys ready for bed, although Ren was looking down at Nora's bed in slight consternation at the face down Nora. Yang helped Pyrrha reach her bed, before looking over at Ren and nudging him in the side, breaking his concentration. "Ren, just lay down. Nobody's gonna judge you. It's pretty obvious you two need each other tonight. Just lay down." Yang solved his dilemma by planting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him down to sit on the bed. Ren sighed, before scooching himself backwards on the bed, sitting upright with his back against the wall, his leg just barely brushing Nora's back. Yang sighed, before reaching down and adjusting Nora so her head was resting on his lap, lighting up the normally pale face of Ren with a light blush. "It's ok to care Ren." Yang looked over to see Pyrrha laying down on her back with her arms behind her head, staring blankly up at the ceiling, with Jaune sitting much like Ren was, back to wall and legs out in front of him.

A flurry of rose petals signified the return of Ruby, loaded down with blankets and pillows, stacked so high that she couldn't see beyond them. This lack of forethought led to Ruby tripping over the doorframe, sending the pillows and blankets flying into the room, most of them landing on top of Pyrrha's motionless form. Ruby lay flat on the ground, her face planted firmly in the ground as Yang just gaped at her, before smashing her face into her palm. A tiny noise came from the mound of pillows and blankets, before erupting into a full blown laugh. The pillow covering Pyrrha's face fell off to reveal her laughing visage, completely red in the face as tears streamed down her face. She placed her hand over her eyes, her laugh echoing out into the hallway as Blake and Weiss arrived, carrying a couple platters loaded down with pancakes, cookies, and random fruits. Pausing in the doorway, Weiss just sighed as Blake giggled. Jaune looked over at the still laughing Pyrrha with a look of consternation on his face.

"Err, Pyrrha? What's so funny?"

"It…it's just…it's just so RUBY!" Pyrrha managed to choke out, hiccupping a couple times, her stomach hurting from laughing so hard. The entire room was silenced, listening to the sound of Pyrrha's nearly insane laughter, before another voice joined her. A soft, nearly inaudible giggle coming from the red-head with her head in Ren's lap. The pink-eyed boy looked down at her in shock as Nora's shoulders shook, laughter overtaking her as well. The combined laughter seemed to infect the rest of the room, sending even Weiss and Ren, the two least likely to laugh, into hysterics. None of them even knew why they were laughing anymore, just a brief moment where everything was forgotten, the pains of the day ended, and they simply enjoyed the moment of friendship and camaraderie. The laughter faded as the memories of the day caught up with team JNPR, each member seeming to shrink within themselves. The RWB of RWBY felt so out of place, still unsure what to do, but Yang would have none of it.

"Ok guys, get the pillows and blankets picked up and let's get the floor all nice and cozy for us. We're gonna watch some movies and eat junk food and anyone who cries is allowed to. I got a projector from Azure too, so we can totally watch movies all together. Jaune?" Jaune blinked at Yang, before giving a short cry as she yanked him to his feet and shoved him at Pyrrha's bed.

"Yang, what-"a hand over his mouth silenced him as the blonde brawler shook her head at him.

"Pyrrha needs someone to be around her to help her get drinks and stuff. Sit on her bed with her. You're her partner, it's your job." Pyrrha tried to interject as she sat up, starting to say she didn't need that, but Yang's other hand silenced her next. "Nope. No arguments. Do it." Pyrrha yanked Yang's hand down and frowned at her, her face lightly blushing as she glanced at Jaune to the side, opening her mouth to speak again. Yang merely pinched her cheeks, giving her the appearance for a fish for a moment, before waggling an admonishing finger at her. "You're injured, shush!" Yang shoved Jaune down to sit on the bed next to Pyrrha, his face stained as red as Pyrrha's.

"Yang?" At Blake's soft question, Yang spun around.

"'Sup kitty cat?"

"How did you get Azure to give you a projector? I didn't think students could get those? For that matter, how come he called Ozpin for you?"

Yang just shrugged and smiled widely. "Oh, we're sparring buddies now!" The room lapsed into silence, staring at Yang blankly. Yang shook her head at the confusion written on their faces. "He fights a lot like that ice cream chick on the train. So, he's been teaching me how to fight those kinds of enemies! He says I'm a good sparring opponent too, cause a lot of his normal dust techniques aren't that good against brawler's like me." Yang flexed her arms for a moment, leading to a giggle from Ruby along with sighs from Weiss and Blake. "Anyways, he said that my idea to make this easier on everyone was the best he'd heard yet. So he was all for this! He even gave me some movies to put on my scroll so we could watch together! So c'mon, everyone get in proper movie marathon position! Tomorrow is the weekend, we can stay up late!" Yang solved the argument by plopping herself down on the floor between Pyrrha and Nora's beds, yanking Blake by the arm and gesturing at the seat next to her. Setting her scroll and the projector on the small bedside table behind her, she started fiddling with it as Ruby set down the blankets and pillows between the beds.

Nora raised her head slightly from Ren's lap, repositioning herself so she could see the wall the projector was pointing to. Pyrrha sat fully up, leaning against the wall behind her much as Jaune was doing, and tossed the side of her blanket over his lap as well as she studiously avoided his gaze, keeping her eyes pointed at the wall and ignoring the red creeping up her cheeks as his leg brushed hers. Yang pulled Blake next to her and scooted closer to Nora's bed, leaving room for Ruby and Weiss to sit on the side nearer Pyrrha. It was a tight fit, keeping them all closer than Weiss or Blake was comfortable with, but neither one said a word. Yang had the situation in hand it seemed.

"Everyone good?" At nods and murmurs of assent from the other's, Yang pressed play.

* * *

Hours later, the dorm room of team JNPR was still, silent in the dead of night. Soft breaths and light snores were the only noises to pierce the veil of silence cast over the room. The only one still awake was Yang, sitting her vigil as she had done with her team. Looking down to her right, she smiled softly at the sight of Blake curled into her side, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets, yet still cuddling closer to Yang's warmth. Yang's smile only grew wider when she noticed Weiss and Ruby, laying on their sides facing each other, barely an inch separating their hands from touching in their sleep. Ren had fallen asleep sitting up, Nora's head still in his lap. Yang winced at the sight, knowing Ren was going to have a painful crick in his neck when he woke, but she was unwilling to wake him, not with what looked like the first peaceful expression he'd had all day on his face. Nora looked a lot better than she had earlier, a small smile gracing her face once more. Jaune and Pyrrha had ended up laying down eventually, his arm underneath her, her head on his shoulder.

The sound of a barely audible sob caught Yang's attention, and she swiveled her head to try to decipher who it was. Noting it from her right, she looked over to see Pyrrha twitching slightly. Gently extricating herself from Blake's sleepy grasp, she stepped carefully over the reaper and fencer to kneel at the side of Pyrrha's bed. Poking Pyrrha in the side, she waited till the amazon had rolled over to face her. Pyrrha wiped a tear from her face and sniffled slightly, before whispering "I'm sorry." Yang put a finger over her own lips, giving the sign for silence, before jerking her head at the door. Standing up, she offered her hand to Pyrrha to help her up. Pyrrha shook her head in negation to the hand, standing up on her own, her aura having healed the minor sprain by that time. The two girls crept out the door, shutting it quietly behind them, as Yang sat down against the wall before gesturing to Pyrrha to do the same.

"So…wanna tell me what's wrong? You don't have to if you don't want, but I'm listening…"

Pyrrha sighed and sunk down next to Yang, fidgeting slightly as she clasped her hands in her lap. "I don't really know. All those things the voices told me, I keep telling myself they aren't true, but…"

"But it doesn't change what you heard, and how it makes you feel."

Pyrrha nodded. "I know you guys are my friends and you like me because I'm Pyrrha, not because I'm a champion, or a strong fighter, or because of my family…but they kept reminding me that it isn't the first time someone told me they were my friend but all they wanted was to use me for something. Kept flashing back to that time with Weiss, before the teams formed. Weiss knew who I was and she wanted me to be on her team because she wanted the strongest one here, not because she wanted ME." At Yang's look, Pyrrha quickly added "I know she doesn't think that way anymore. Weiss sees me for me now, I know that, but…just reminded me that the first thing people see is my ability, and not me. I guess…sometimes I just worry I'm going to be forced to be Pyrrha Nikos, the 'strong one' forever, and I'll never get to just be Pyrrha."

Yang placed her hand on Pyrrha's shoulder. "Pyrrha, remember…we saw you for you. Others can too. You're special, but it's not cause of your abilities. You're special because you care. Because you want to help everyone you can. Because you've given up so much for nothing in return. That's why you're special. That's the Pyrrha we see when we look at you." Pyrrha just looked up at Yang, eyes watering slightly, before engulfing her in a hug. Yang hugged her right back, without her usual bone-crushing strength, just a soft hug between friends.

"Yang?"

"Hmm?"

"How come you were still awake?"

"I knew someone would be upset. Wanted to make sure I was awake just in case."

Pyrrha pulled back, cocking her head at Yang. "You're really something else, you know that?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Pyrrha just gave Yang a contemplative look. "Since I've known you, you've been very protective of Ruby. Just like any big sister. But it's not just her. It's like…like you're everyone's big sister now. Like you try to protect all of us."

Yang shrugged. "Friends, family, no difference. All of you are my friends, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep you guys safe and happy." Yang looked at Pyrrha searchingly for a moment. "Are you sure that's all that was bothering you?" Yang noted the way Pyrrha looked away from her and clenched her first, before taking a deep breath and looking back at Yang.

"It's not everything, but…I don't want to talk about the rest right now." Yang kept her eyes locked on Pyrrha for a moment, before giving a sharp nod to the amazon.

"Alright. Just remember, I'll be here if you need me."

Pyrrha looked back up at Yang and smiled softly. "…thanks Yang. For everything." Yang's mischievous grin lit up the darkened hallway.

"For getting you and Jaune in bed together?" Pyrrha's face went bright red as she began sputtering, making Yang cover her mouth to keep quiet as she doubled over in laughter. "Oh come on Pyrrha, the only one who doesn't know is Jaune. Seriously, how is he so dense?" Pyrrha managed to control herself enough to shrug shyly.

"I don't know. I thought he got the point after the dance but…"

"But he still didn't make a move. Yeah, sounds like Vomit-Boy to me."

Pyrrha glared at Yang. "Hey! Don't call him that!"

Yang smirked. "Defending your man now?"

Pyrrha shoved Yang's shoulder good-naturedly, slowly getting used to her teasing. "If he'd get the message…"

"Well, maybe waking up in bed with him will get it across." Yang winked at Pyrrha before standing up and offering her hand. Pyrrha took it, blushing, letting Yang pull her to her feet, before the two girls headed back into the dorm of team JNPR.

* * *

Blake stole the time. She'd been cooped up all day and just needed some fresh air, along with a peaceful spot to read. The library was no use now, too many people in it. Normally, she'd climb up to the roof above her dorm (Sun wasn't the only one who could climb trees), but lately other students had been using it as a kind of lover's lane. Not something Blake wanted to see. Instead, she snuck her way onto the roof of the main building for Beacon, fairly certain no one would be there. As she carefully opened the door from the stairwell and stepped out, she took in a deep breath. Something about being up in higher places made her feel better. Probably had something to do with her Faunus instincts, but she didn't care. As she rounded the corner of the stairwell, book tucked under her arm, her hopes were dashed as she noticed a pair of legs sticking out from the other side of the stairwell. Sighing, she decided to continue and see who else had come up here. If it was someone she could stand, she'd deal with company so she could read. Walking around the corner, she came to a stop at seeing Azure sitting calmly, back to the wall, eyes closed with a small grin on his face. At the sound of her feet hitting the gravel, he peaked one eye open and noticed Blake.

"Oh, Miss Belladona. Wasn't expecting to see you here. I'm assuming you weren't looking for me?"

Blake shook her head in negation. "No, I just wanted a place to read."

Azure made a hum of assent, before gesturing to the rest of the roof slowly. "Well, I certainly wouldn't want to deprive you of that. I'm just taking a bit to enjoy the air up here, I won't be bothering you." Placing his hands back behind his head, he closed his eyes again. Blake considered what he said, and seeing as it didn't look like he was going to move, decided to sit down on the other side of him and read.

"Miss Belladona?" About a half hour had passed before Azure's voice penetrated Blake's concentration, making her look up to see him, still with his eyes closed. "If I may ask, and please forgive me, but why don't you take the bow off? It can't be comfortable for your ears."

Blake blinked, mouth hanging open slightly. "How…how did you know?"

"Well, for one, I have access to your file, which has your race listed. And two, I turned into you during our match, if you recall. I noticed the ears fairly easily at that point."

Blake flushed slightly, before the realization hit her. "Wait, you copied that too?"

"Yep. I copy everything…race, gender, etc. It took a good long time before I got used to it. Shape wasn't too bad. Gender…that was a bit strange for me. Was actually on accident, during a training session with Onyx. Boy, did that go over well. First time I turned into a Faunus though, that really threw me off. The increase in senses nearly overwhelmed me. Took me a while to get used to going back and forth between the two."

"Can you change at will, or do you need the person around?"

Azure seemed to ponder the question, eyes opening as he looked up at the sky as though trying to figure out how to word the answer. "Both? I can't copy the whole person without them around, and I can only do a full copy of the last person I touched. But I am able to adapt certain things…for example, a while ago I was able to increase my own senses a little. It's not quite Faunus level, but it's better than the average hunter's. I can change my hair and eye color at will though."

"Is that your natural color?"

Azure scoffed. "Hah, no. I'm named fairly appropriately. Hair and eyes are both very blue normally. I just like to switch it up every so often…it's like dying your hair and wearing colored contacts really, just changes the color."

Blake nodded, before looking down at her lap and sighing. "I keep the bow on for protection." Blake intended on leaving it at that, but Azure's voice spoke out.

"Oh, I understand that. I meant right now. I already know, and it's just the two of us up here right now. I only had them for a few minutes and I felt how stiff that bow makes them. Figured you'd want to let them get some fresh air too." Blake tilted her head to the side as she considered his statement, before reaching up and undoing the bow. She couldn't resist twitching her ears in the light breeze, breathing a deep sigh of relief. She looked back down at her book, but resolutely closed it and sat up straighter.

"Mr. Silva?"

His groan of frustration at first made her apprehensive, till he spoke. "Azure! Please, for the love of dust, Azure. Mr. Silva makes me feel so old!" The last few words spoken in a childish pout brought a smile to Blake's face.

"Alright. Azure. You said you'd be available to talk anytime, right?"

"I did."

"Are you available right now?"

"This does count as any time. What's up?"

Blake fidgeted for a moment, unsure how to begin, but forged ahead anyways. "Do you…did my file have anything on my past? What does it say?" Azure stilled, before replying in a very careful tone.

"It had some things. It told a story of a young girl, mistreated, who fell in with a group trying to make life for her and others like her better. A group who lost their patience with peace and embraced war, and in the end, turned down a path the young girl did not want to go down." Azure paused for a moment, before gesturing back at Blake. "Thus the young girl chose a different path, one which I personally think took great courage to do."

Blake scoffed lightly. "I wouldn't call it courage. I ran because I was afraid. I ran here without the slightest idea how to get anything I wanted done. I just ran from one problem to another. I still don't know how to fix anything wrong with this world."

"Seems to me you've already started. Isn't Miss Schnee on your side?"

Blake looked up at him, confused. "How did you know that?"

"Weiss and I have spoken at length." Before Blake could question that, Azure shook his head no. "No, I won't tell you what was said. I meant it when I said I keep confidence. Just as anything you tell me now, no one else will ever hear." Blake shut her mouth, sighing in frustration.

"Just one though."

"You have to start somewhere. And where better to start than the person who eventually will take over the SDC and decide how to treat the Faunus laborer's working for it?"

Blake fell silent for a moment. "Can I ask you something else?" At Azure's silent 'go on' gesture, Blake continued. "It's about Yang-"

"I just said-"

"No no, I'm not asking anything like that!" Azure cut off his response and listened patiently. "It's more…she's been acting differently lately. And I want to talk to her about it, but I'm not sure how to bring it up."

"Miss Xiao Long is a fairly blunt individual, Blake. I think she'd appreciate you just coming out and asking her."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts. Just talk to her. You'd be amazed at how easy it can be to just talk to your partner sometimes."

Blake sighed, before deciding she'd think his advice over later. She stood, dusting herself off. "Thank you, Azure. I'm going to head back to the dorm now…maybe I can catch Yang there."

Azure smiled at Blake. "Anytime, Blake." Blake quickly redid her bow, before heading to the stairwell.

* * *

The walk back to her dorm gave Blake plenty of time to think on what she was going to say. She'd just ask Yang to take a walk with her, and then come out and ask it. Simple, to the point, direct. Yang would appreciate it. Her mind made up, Blake marched proudly back to her dorm. As she entered the hallway leading to team RWBY's dorm, she noticed the door was open. Raising an eyebrow, since all the girls tended to shut the door as soon as they entered, she hurried over to the door before freezing in shock.

Ruby, dressed in black shorts and _nothing_ else, her hair still dripping, was currently being pinned to the wall by Weiss. Weiss's hands were entangled with Ruby's, their fingers wrapped around each other as Ruby's arms were being held up against the wall by Weiss. Less than an inch of space separated the two girls, their faces so close every time they so much as breathed it threatened to force their lips together. Yang was standing just inside the door to the room, as frozen as Blake, staring at the two girls against the wall. Ruby's face was steadily reddening, as Weiss's already pale skin was nearly blue from shock. Ruby shrugged slightly.

"Umm…hi?"


	10. Chapter 10

_'Ok Ruby, you got this. You got this. This is your chance.'_ Ruby's mind was focused, eyes on the prize. She was determined that she would win Weiss, and win her now. Just had to get this right. She looked over herself in the mirror, twisting this way and that, hoping what she saw was desirable. She was wearing only a pair of tight short black shorts she'd borrowed from Yang, having conveniently 'forgotten' her normal pajama shirt on her dresser. She bit her lip slightly as she tried to calm her nerves, staring at her reflection once more and hoping this would work. She carefully cracked the bathroom door, peering through it at the still form of Weiss, seated at her desk and reading over some textbook. She quickly ran through her mental checklist.

_'Yang is out training?'_

_'Check.'_

_'Blake is out reading quietly somewhere?'_

_'And the book is big enough to occupy her for hours, check.'_

_'Weiss is busy doing her homework at the desk and not paying attention to me yet?'_

_'Not for long, but check.'_

_'Shirt is casually laying on my dresser near Weiss so it looks like I just forgot?'_

_'Check.'_

_'Just exited shower and did a bad job of drying off so still wet?'_

_'Check. And who came up with this hair-brained scheme anyways?'_

_'You did!'_

_'Nuh-uh!'_

_'Yeah huh! It was totally you! I don't have any other voices in my head!'_

_'That's what YOU think.'_

_'Wait, what?'_

_"Never you mind, times wasting!'_

_'Right, right. Ok, let's do this.'_

Ruby squared her shoulders, took a deep breath, and opened the bathroom door. Weiss didn't even twitch, engrossed in her book, making Ruby's smile fade slightly, before it twisted into that smirk she'd practiced. She opened her mouth. "Oh Weiss, I completely forgot my shirt, could you hand it to me?" As Weiss began to turn to look at Ruby, all Ruby could think was _'finally!'_

The past few days had been strange between Weiss and Ruby. After they had spent the night so close in team JNPR's room, Weiss had been having serious trouble keeping her cool around the younger girl. Something kept making her distracted, especially when she smelled the ever present scent of roses that followed Ruby around at all times. Idly she wondered if that was just Ruby's shampoo, or if she naturally smelled that way, before dismissing the thought. She was supposed to be studying, but she simply couldn't keep her mind on the book. She kept thinking back to those strange moments when that _other_ Ruby came out, the one that kept doing such indecent things and making something in Weiss clench every time she saw that smile. She hadn't seen that other Ruby in days now. Maybe it was just a fluke? Yeah, just a fluke. Nothing to be concerned about. Things would go back to normal soon enough, and Ruby would no longer be that way. She'd be back to being a total adorable dork…wait, what?

Her musings were broken by Ruby's voice, and she reacted automatically, turning around to view her partner, before her entire world froze. Her mind went completely and utterly blank, unable to comprehend the image in front of her. Ruby Rose was topless. Ruby Rose was topless. _Ruby Rose was topless!_ Weiss wasn't sure if her mind would ever function again, as her eyes raked the younger girl's form. She idly noted how Ruby's hair still appeared wet, and how small beads of water were still dripping down from those strands. Her eyes followed one droplet, as it fell down Ruby's cheek, barely missing falling into her mouth, before casually sliding down her neck, falling right down into the center of her collarbone. It paused for a brief moment before sliding the rest of the way down, as Weiss watched the droplet continue its trek down, falling into the hollow between the younger girl's breasts.

Slowly it slid down, Weiss's vision utterly locked on that one tiny droplet, but her peripheral not failing to note the shape and size of Ruby's fairly generous chest. She had never noticed, but Ruby had still been growing the entire time they had been at Beacon. She supposed that explained why Ruby kept complaining about her bra every month or so, before going out and buying new ones. Her thoughts were so scattered, unorganized, so unlike her, but still her eyes trailed along that small drop of water coursing its way down Ruby's body. Next in its trail, it fell down into those rather well defined abs that Ruby had apparently built up over the years. Weiss's first thought was to wonder what it would feel like to touch those, to run her hands along them and feel the firm muscles trapped beneath that smooth skin.

That one tiny drop of water, one final curve of Ruby to follow, sliding onto Ruby's hip bones, before disappearing under the edge of the black shorts that looked nearly like a second skin. Weiss's ears were ringing, her breath coming in pants, and she wasn't sure why, but she felt a burning feeling spreading throughout her, starting from between her legs and spreading everywhere. Her eyes raised back up to meet Ruby's, only to stop once she realized that damnable smirk was back. It took a great effort, but she finally managed to meet the eyes of her partner, seeing that smoldering look in her eyes. That was the last straw…Weiss snapped.

She wasn't sure when she had moved. Or how. It was like she simply teleported. And right now, Weiss couldn't care less. Her hands were entwined with Ruby's, her fingers clasped with her partner's as she had pinned Ruby to the wall. She could feel the wet skin on Ruby's forearm through her sleeves, and felt the toned muscles underneath it that Ruby had gained from years of swinging that oversized scythe around. She had but to take one tiny step, move forward only an inch, and she and Ruby would be fully in contact. One tiny move, one more chance to back down. But one more look in Ruby's eyes, and she had no hesitation. She didn't understand that look, but something about it begged her to continue, to move forward. The sensation of Ruby's fingers curling down to twine themselves with hers sent tingles straight up her spine, but not once did Ruby try to push back at all. She simply looked Weiss dead in the eye, that smirk having faded slightly, replaced with a soft, patient, encouraging smile. Weiss only needed to move forward that one…more…inch…

"Hey guys, guess who's…back…" Ruby's eyes went wide, huge now, that smoldering look immediately replaced with trepidation and fear. Weiss wished she could move, but her entire form felt locked up, that voice echoing in her head as she realized the position she was in. She had a topless Ruby ( _'topless Ruby!' 'Shut up!'_ ) pinned to a wall, and Yang was there. Ruby's big, overprotective, violent sister. The girl whose first instinct in any situation was 'punch first, don't bother with questions later, just punch again'. Her eye twitched slightly at the sound of Blake's gasp, and the dead silence coming from directly behind her where she could feel the burning heat of Yang. And then Ruby had to go and open her mouth.

"Umm…hi?" If Weiss hadn't been utterly petrified, she would have facepalmed so hard she was sure she'd be in pain later. As it was, she did not even struggle when she felt the strong arm grab her shoulder and yank her back. She didn't protest as Yang threw, with surprising force, Ruby's nightshirt to the reaper and commanded she put her shirt on. Weiss didn't even try to walk away as Yang grabbed her by the arm and began dragging her out of the dorm room, against Ruby's protests and cries of 'It's not Weiss's fault!'

"I need to talk with the princess. You stay right here and don't you dare leave, we need to have some words later sis. C'mere Weiss." Yang solved the issue by gently pushing Ruby down to sit on Weiss's bed as she yanked Weiss out of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Ruby trapped in the dorm with a still disturbed Faunus, sitting on her own bed and gaping at Ruby.

* * *

It took a good few minutes before Ruby realized it, but once she did she crossed her arms over her chest and grumbled. "What are you staring at?" Shaking her head to clear it, Blake leaned back and looked penetratingly at Ruby.

"What…was that?"

"What was what?"

"Don't give me that Ruby." An unbidden thought came to Blake's mind, making her exclaim in surprise. "Were you…were you trying to _seduce_ Weiss?!"

Ruby looked away from Blake, biting her lip and poking her index fingers together, before muttering a very quiet 'maybe?' Blake gaped at her again, before frowning and crossing her arms over her chest.

"…and where did you come up with the topless idea from?"

Ruby giggled nervously, running her hand through her hair for a moment, refusing to look at Blake. "Well…umm…a, a book?"

Blake's eye twitched. "You mean _my_ book, don't you?"

Ruby hunched her shoulders down, before firing up. "Well…it was a good book! It had good ideas! And it was working till you and Yang showed up!"

Blake blinked at Ruby's vehement response. "Why would you do that to Weiss?" Ruby blinked at Blake, confused, tilting her head to the side in a way that reminded Blake of that fur ball, Zwei. "Why would you want to seduce Weiss?"

"Well…cause…she's beautiful, and smart, and she's nice when you get to be friends with her, and she makes me feel so special sometimes, and-" Ruby's rambling was cut off by Blake's upraised hand.

"You could just say you like her."

Ruby chuckled, her face pinking slightly. "Is it that obvious?" Blake's deadpan look was all the answer Ruby needed. She took a deep breath before speaking again, her voice nearly a whisper. "Do…do you think she feels the same?"

Blake paused for a moment, unsure how to reply, before speaking very carefully. "I don't know. But her reaction says something, I guess." Ruby's face lit up with a big smile as she launched herself off her bed to hug a surprised Blake, squeezing her hard enough to rival Yang's bear hugs.

"Thanks Blake!" Blake patted Ruby on the head softly, before noticing the way Ruby had tensed up as she let the faunus go. "I just hope Yang doesn't hurt Weiss…it wasn't her fault."

* * *

Weiss's blindly followed Yang, only slightly concerned Yang was going to kill her. She should have been more afraid, but she couldn't get that image out of her head, much less the feeling of being so close to Ruby. She didn't even notice when Yang had stopped, walking straight into the blonde's back and nearly falling over, if Yang hadn't reacted quickly and grabbed her before she could fall. She finally came back to the world of the living when she noticed that they had stopped outside Dr. Oobleck's classroom. Yang quickly threw the door open before giving Weiss a small shove into the classroom, stepping behind her and shutting the door, locking the two of them in the classroom together. Weiss gulped and closed her eyes, standing tall, ready for Yang to do whatever she had dragged her there to do.

The sound of Yang sighing made it to the heiress's ears. "Weiss. I'm not going to hit you. So stop standing there like you're expecting it." Weiss opened her eyes a crack, to see Yang leaning against the door, arms crossed on her chest and a strange half smile on her face. Weiss, in her usual blunt way, had only one reply.

"Why not?"

Yang rolled her eyes at the heiress. "Because I highly doubt you started that. You may be a neat freak, but no way you took Ruby's shirt off, folded it carefully, placed it on her dresser on the _other side of the room_ , then walked back and pinned her to the wall. Not to mention my little sis was using _my_ smile. I invented that smirk you know. It's obvious to me what she was doing." Weiss goggled at Yang, her expression so dumbfounded it took a considerable amount of Yang's self-control to not burst into laughter at the look on Weiss's face.

"That was on _purpose_?!"

Yang started chuckling at that, unable to hold it in. "Of course it was. So was the way she kept swinging her hips when she walked in front of you. And I bet she randomly gets really close to you and touches you softly, or finds excuses for you to see her with less clothes than usual." Weiss's flushed face was all the confirmation Yang needed.

"But…why? Why is she doing that?" Weiss's voice fell slightly, leading to another eye roll on Yang's part. _'At this rate, my eyes are going to roll right out of my skull.'_ Yang thought to herself.

"Because she likes you. Like you like her."

Weiss's indignant huff sounded out as she folded her arms across her chest. "Of course I like her! She's my partner!" A loud crash sounded, throwing Weiss off. Looking up, she saw that Yang had slammed her forehead into the wall. She could hear Yang muttering something to herself, something about _'…blind. Completely and utterly blind.'_ "What?!"

Yang spoke, her voice slightly muffled by the wall. "Weiss…do you even know what it means when I say you like _like_ someone?"

"I know it means you have terrible grammar." Another head slam into the wall. A couple minutes passed as Yang tried to contemplate how to explain the concept to the heiress, eyes closed as she leaned against the wall. But the next thing said froze her in her tracks.

"Yang…why does it hurt when Ruby's not around?" The utterly dejected tone of Weiss's voice triggered every big sister instinct in Yang, making her spin around to see the heiress looking down at the ground, shoulders slumped. Two quick steps to the heiress's side and Yang had wrapped her in a gentle hug, a departure from her normal bear hugs. Weiss didn't seem to know how to react, her arms limply hanging from her side, but Yang noticed she didn't instantly pull away.

"Weiss…why did you ask Neptune to the dance?"

The abrupt topic shift threw Weiss off for a moment, but she responded. "Well…that's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? Neptune was attractive, and smart. So I was supposed to ask him, because you go to the dance with someone else." Only the fact that Yang was still hugging Weiss kept her from slamming her head into the wall again.

"So you didn't feel anything different for him?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"…Weiss, do you know what love is?"

"Love is a variety of feelings, attitudes, and states ranging from interpersonal affection to pleasure. It is caused by a series of chemical reactions in the body that engender certain bodily reactions and hormonal alterations. It can refer to both feelings of affection or desire in some cases." Yang wondered if Weiss had memorized a dictionary at some point.

"Do you know what it feels like?"

Weiss paused for a moment, pulling herself out of Yang's arms and looking away for a moment. "I…I don't know," Weiss mumbled. "You're supposed to love your family, but I don't know if I do…maybe Winter? You love Ruby right? What's that like?"

"Well...she's incredibly important to me. She's my little sister. I have to protect her, you know? She makes me feel cheery, and I just can't imagine life without my baby sis. But why don't you tell me how you feel about Ruby?"

Weiss looked off to into the distance, staring blankly as she just said whatever came to mind. "Well, she's loud, and hyperactive, and she doesn't take her studies seriously enough! But she's also really kind…she forgave me for being such a bitch to her when we first met. She's smarter than she thinks she is, and she can be funny, and she makes me feel so warm. I never feel warm. I always felt cold, but around Ruby I just feel so much warmer, and she's so cute at times especially when she's messing around with that oversized scythe of hers, she sticks her tongue out just a little bit when she's concentrating. She's always so happy and excited and it makes me want to do things and get away from books and-"Weiss paused as she saw Yang looking at her with an indulgent smile. "What?" Weiss made a quick 'urk' sound as Yang swiftly yanked her into a huge bear hug, nearly crushing the smaller girl's spine. Weiss elbowed Yang in the side, getting the blonde to release her so she could catch her breath. Before she could go on a tirade at Yang, the blonde leaned down slightly and tapped Weiss on the nose with one finger.

"Well Weiss, now you know what it's like to feel…how did you put it? Affection for someone?" Weiss blinked at Yang, her mind only at this moment catching on to what Yang was saying.

"Wait…what? Are you implying that I feel affection for… _Ruby?!_ "

"Yep!" was Yang's reply, popping the 'p' sound.

"That's utterly preposterous! I can't possibly, she's a girl!"

"Yeah, she is. So?"

"So…I can't be like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because…because my father would never allow it!"

"And when did you start caring about what your father will and won't allow? Aren't you the one who keeps telling us you're going to fix his mistakes? Who cares what he has to say?" Weiss froze in the process of opening her mouth, before slamming it shut and pondering what Yang had said. Yang waited patiently for a few minutes, watching the muscles in Weiss's face twitch as she struggled internally with the concept, before Weiss's face smoothed out into a neutral one.

"Yang?"

"Weiss."

"I don't know how to do this."

"Just talk to her, Weiss. I'll ask Blake to come with me, we'll go study or something. You just talk to Ruby. Just tell her the truth, ok?"

"But what if I mess it up?"

Yang grinned, her eyes flashing. "Well, first, I kick your ass for hurting my baby sis, then I fix it for you." Weiss chuckled nervously, not sure if Yang was joking or not, but a bit worried considering the glint in the brawler's eyes. But Weiss was nothing if not determined. Yang watched, amused, as Weiss squared her shoulders and her face took on her normal, proud expression.

Head held high, she marched to the door, before turning to look at Yang. "Well? Are you coming you big blonde oaf, or am I going to have to ask Blake to leave myself?" Yang chuckled, before following the heiress out of the room.

* * *

As the door to the dorm opened, Weiss was pounced upon. A red blur nearly leapt into her arms, rose petals flying everywhere as Ruby frantically spun Weiss around, looking for any sign of injury.

"Weiss! Are you ok? Did Yang hurt you? Where's the bruises? Or _burns?!_ Yang what did you do? I told you it wasn't her fault, how could you-" Ruby's rambling was cut short by Weiss's hand slamming over her mouth, muffling the sound of Ruby's frantic rant.

"Ruby, I'm ok! We just talked. But…umm…can we talk?" Ruby froze for a moment, her eyes sliding over to Blake. Yang casually strolled past the two over to Blake, grabbing up the faunus's schoolbag and her own, before reaching down to offer Blake her hand.

"Hey Blake, can ya help me with my essay for Oobleck's class? I think the library should be nice and quiet right now."

Blake smiled softly at the transparent attempt to clear the room, before nodding and taking Yang's hand, using the pull Yang gave to get to her feet. "Sure." Rolling her eyes, Blake followed Yang out of the room, before looking over her shoulder and winking at Ruby, who chuckled nervously, still muffled by Weiss's hand. As the door shut behind the B and Y of RWBY, Weiss yanked her hand away from Ruby's mouth as though burned, before shuffling nervously. She looked down at the floor, hands folded behind her back and scuffing her feet slightly, before taking a deep breath and looking up at Ruby. Narrowing her eyes, Weiss stood up straight and pointed at her bed.

"Sit." Came the command from the heiress, which Ruby instantly obeyed, another flurry of rose petals filling the air, the scent of roses threatening to distract Weiss from her mission. Weiss sat down on the bed next to Ruby, spine ramrod straight as she stared straight ahead. Ruby leaned forward slightly, hands on the bed as she tilted her head to the side to try to look at Weiss in the face.

"So…talk?"

"Ruby…what is love?"

Ruby goggled, before flushing slightly. "Umm…well…when you love someone, you'd give up anything to make them happy. Every time they are near you, you feel whole, like some missing part of you is filled up and they make you feel warm and fuzzy, and it brings a smile to your face whenever you think of them. And whenever they are sad, you feel like nothing is right in the world, because they should only ever be happy. And you want to make sure they never feel alone again, and just make their lives everything they ever wanted them to be. Oh, and, every time they smile or look at you you feel super happy and you just want to cuddle them and sometimes you want to kiss them and touch their soft white hair and-"Ruby paused, her mind catching up to the words spilling out of her mouth, before looking away quickly and whistling nonchalantly. The quality of silence from Weiss led to her looking back to the heiress, concerned, before she found herself frozen for an entirely different reason.

Weiss Schnee wasn't one to back down once she'd set her mind on something, but she had no idea how to articulate how she felt, or what it meant to hear Ruby say that. She had no idea how to respond, but she didn't want to leave Ruby hanging. The last thing Ruby had said was enough to remind her of how close they had been not long ago, and with that, she made up her mind. As soon as Ruby had turned to look at her, Weiss leaned in and placed her lips on the younger girl's.

Ruby was frozen for only a moment before she simply fell into it. Eyes fluttering closed, she pressed her lips back against Weiss's, feeling the cold of Weiss's lips slowly warming against hers. Neither girl was really sure what to do, or how this was supposed to work, but the only thing that mattered was how it felt. A burst of heat exploded in Weiss's chest as she felt the slightly chapped surface of Ruby's lips, and reacting instinctively, Weiss lifted one hand to caress Ruby's cheek, feeling her skin quiver slightly below her cold touch. Before she could remove her hand, Ruby's had lifted up to cover the heiress's, holding it in place as a soft breath fell from her lips. Ruby slowly moved backwards, opening her eyes to see Weiss's wide eyes and flushed face, breathing slightly harder than before. Ruby nuzzled her cheek into Weiss's hand, keeping her eyes locked on the heiress's. Seeing the soft expression and tiny smile making its way onto Weiss's face was enough for Ruby, and she leaned back in for another kiss, this one more confident.

Releasing Weiss's hand, Ruby cupped the heiress's face in both of hers, deepening the kiss and making Weiss release an involuntary moan. The sheer sensuality of it sent shivers up Ruby's spine, and she lightly licked her tongue across Weiss's lips. Weiss immediately opened her mouth, at first unsure, but the moment she felt Ruby's tongue making its way across her lips, she accepted it happily. Ruby leaned forward more, nearly hovering over Weiss's lap, leading to Weiss to just grab the younger girl and pull her into her lap. Ruby let out a squeak as she found herself straddling Weiss, releasing her lips to look at Weiss again. Gulping, Ruby tried to speak.

"Weiss, umm, does this mean-" Ruby was cut off by another quick kiss, before Weiss muttered.

"Of course it does, dolt. Just shut up and kiss me."

Ruby giggled girlishly. "As you wish, princess."


	11. Chapter 11

Blake looked askance at Yang, before voicing her thoughts. "We're not actually going to the library, are we?"

Yang looked at Blake in confusion, before replying. "Of course we are. It's where you wanna go." Blake stopped in the middle of the hallway, Yang going further down the hall before realizing the faunus had stopped. Yang spun around and cocked her head. "Something wrong, kitty cat?"

Blake just looked piercingly at Yang for a moment, before speaking slowly and carefully. "Yang…you've been acting really weird lately, and I want to know what's up with you."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Blakey." Yang stuttered for a brief second, looking a bit flushed, before rushing back to Blake and grabbing her hand. The brawler started pulling Blake along, not giving her a chance to protest. "C'mon, to the library!" Yang spoke with a dramatic flair, one hand pointing the way and her head held high. Blake was not amused and glared at the back of the blonde's head, but didn't say anything. She was going to get answers, just as soon as she could corner Yang, and the library would work well enough for that.

As soon as the pair entered the library, Blake tugged on Yang's arm, still firmly gripped by the blonde. Yang stopped when she felt the tug, looking back at Blake with confusion in her eyes and a strange flush on her face. Blake felt it was her turn to begin dragging, so she began pulling Yang towards one of the private study rooms in the back of the library. However, when Yang stopped in place and began giggling quietly, Blake turned to look back at the blonde, exasperated, until she followed Yang's line of sight.

Jaune and Pyrrha were sitting at a library table, looking to be studying, and their heads down low, whispering to each other. Blake wasn't sure why that had Yang giggling, until she noticed that the J and P of JNPR had their hands interlocked very tightly with each other, and Pyrrha was cuddled up tightly against Jaune's side. Blake smiled fondly at them, before turning to look at Yang who had a look of extreme satisfaction on her face.

"Two down, two to go!" Yang proclaimed, softly considering where they were located.

"Two what?"

Yang smiled brightly at Blake, before bopping her on the nose with one finger. "Why, two couples, silly kitty! Yang Xiao Long is an expert Cupid, you see. Between those two, and of course my sister and the ice queen, that's two out of four already. Only two more to go!" Blake blinked at Yang.

"Who are the other two couples?"

Yang winked. "You'll see. Hopefully soon." Blake just narrowed her eyes at Yang, before deciding it was high time she got some answers. Once again she began pulling the unresisting blonde towards one of the private study rooms. As soon as she reached one, she all but shoved Yang inside before slamming the door shut behind her, advancing on the brawler with narrowed eyes and a frown on her face.

"Ok Yang, talk to me. What's been with you lately? You've been so…not you! You've been quiet, and respectful, and you don't pester me to train with you anymore, and now you're willing to _study_ with me, in the _library_? Start talking blondie, because I want some answers." Blake crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back against the door to block any escape attempts. Yang hummed contemplatively to herself, before shrugging.

"Well, guess the cat's out of the bag." Yang glanced at Blake to see the eye roll, and smiled. "Soooo, I said two couples to go. Couple three is _obviously_ Nora and Ren, who are totally gonna be together together and not just together. So tell me my favorite kitty cat, who does that leave hmm?" Yang raised an eyebrow at Blake, smirking slightly as she waited for the wheels to turn in Blake's head. The look of dawning comprehension on Blake's face, followed by the faunus immediately flushing beet red and looking away from Yang, staring at the ground. Yang strode over to her and gently placed her hand on Blake's chin, before lifting it up to look her in the eyes. She spoke softly and kept her voice even, trying to keep Blake from freaking out. "Yes, I like you. A lot. I think you are one of the most incredible women I've ever had the fortune of knowing. How strong you are, how much you went through, and still came out strong and unbowed, it just amazes me. So I decided I wanted to learn more about what you liked. To spend time doing the things you wanted." Yang let go of Blake's chin, her confident tone dropping off as she looked away from Blake.

"But, if you don't feel the same, that's ok. I'll still be your friend no matter what, so you don't have to feel pressured or anything-"Yang was cut off by a poke in her chest by Blake, drawing her attention back up to the faunus's golden eyes.

"Yang? Shut up." Yang wanted to protest, shutting up was not in her nature, but she suddenly found her lips very busy. Yang wasn't exactly unfamiliar with kissing, so the shock wore off very quickly as she wrapped her arms around Blake's midsection, holding her tightly as she returned the kiss with as much fervor as she could. She detected a hint of berry on Blake's lips, probably from her lipstick, before she jumped a tiny bit as Blake nipped at her lower lip, before sinking deeper into the kiss. Her tongue sliding forth, licking at Blake's lips, the faunus opening her mouth instantly and returning the favor. Blake's hands made their way up to grip onto Yang's hair tightly, pulling on it slightly as she kept trying to get closer to the blonde. The tiny bit of pain made Yang moan slightly, and she swiftly decided to say screw it. She dropped one hand down Blake's back, sliding down her spine slightly, making Blake shiver, before reaching her target and squeezing. Blake jumped, breaking the kiss and glaring at Yang as she panted slightly.

Yang just smiled at Blake, seemingly not out of breath. "I have been _waiting_ to do that for so long!" Yang noticed that Blake had made no move to remove her hand, just rolled her eyes and leaned back in for another kiss.

Just as their lips touched, Blake breathed out "That's three," making Yang smile against her lips before they lost themselves in each other.

* * *

Ruby and Weiss lay on Weiss's bed, side by side, staring up at the underside of Ruby's hanging bed (or deathtrap as Weiss would call it.) Shoulder's touching, their fingers were laced together, as they both tried to calm their racing hearts. Ruby had a huge grin on her face, while Weiss's smile was much more sedate it was no less honest. With her free hand, Ruby absently rubbed at the slowly darkening bruise on her neck. Weiss scrunched up her shoulders slightly in embarrassment as she noticed Ruby's action.

"Sorry." Weiss muttered, looking away from Ruby.

Ruby just turned her head to look at Weiss, smiling. "It's cool. I like it." Weiss shook her head slowly, before turning her head to look at Ruby, mirroring the younger girl's position.

"No, it's not cool. I…Ruby, I don't know how to do this. It's really hard…for me to-" Weiss stopped, clearly struggling with her words. Ruby waited patiently, turning on her side to fully look at Weiss, rubbing her thumb over the back of Weiss's fingers softly. "Ruby, I don't know how to do these things. Or how to stop myself from going…too far." Weiss muttered the last part, looking down. A soft squeeze on her hand made her look back up into Ruby's silver eyes, full of understanding.

"Weiss, it's ok. I'll tell you if you do anything I don't want, ok? And I'll help you as much as I can…I don't exactly have much experience either. But that's ok. We can learn together."

Weiss smiled at that, before turning to lay on her side facing Ruby as well. Weiss leaned forward and kissed Ruby on the cheek. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, Yang, Blake, and JNPR, I don't know what I'd be like."

Ruby giggled. "Probably a colossal pain is what you would be. Oh wait, you still are." Weiss glared at Ruby, before using her free hand to flick the younger girl in the head. Ruby jerked her head back, before mock frowning at Weiss. "Hey, domestic abuse here!" Weiss scoffed, rolling her eyes, before her head snapped back in surprise as a fluffy object smacked into it. Sputtering for a moment, she moved her head back forward to see Ruby holding a pillow in her hands, bringing it down to hit the heiress again, a huge smile on her face. Weiss leapt up, dodging the strike, before grabbing her own pillow and retaliating.

In the midst of the pair's attempts to batter each other into submission with pillows, their door swung open to admit a green and white blur falling to the ground. Blinking, the two girls looked over the edge of Weiss's bed to see Nora, laying on top of Ren, her lips firmly fused to the quietest member of team JNPR's own lips. This continued for a good few seconds before a polite cough from Ruby made the two entangled members of JNPR leap up, looking around confused. Nora laughed nervously.

"Oh…hey…this isn't our dorm." A facepalm from Ren, gaping jaw drop from Weiss, and giggle from Ruby seemed to break the spell Nora was under. Red-faced, she grabbed Ren's hand and shot the reaper and heiress a quick grin, before running across the hall, dragging Ren behind her and slamming the door shut. Weiss and Ruby shared a single look before bursting into laughter, Weiss holding her hand over her mouth to try to keep her laughter quiet. Ruby had no such compunctions and was holding her sides as she rolled on the bed, crying.

"Well, guess that answers the question of together or together together." Ruby managed to choke out once she had her breathing under control. Weiss just nodded along, wiping tears from her eyes.

Ruby looked over at Weiss, before scooting over to sit right up against her. She wrapped her arm around Weiss's waist, certain the heiress would allow her to. Kissing Weiss's cheek, Ruby nuzzled Weiss's neck, grinning to herself as she felt Weiss go rigid for a brief second before she relaxed into the red-head's grip. "Weiss?"

"Yeah Ruby?"

"So, I can call you my girlfriend now, right?"

"Yes. But can we keep it just between us for now?" Seeing the look of disappointment on Ruby's face, Weiss hastily amended. "I don't mean we can't tell our friends or anything. And I don't mean we have to be all secretive…but can we just not announce it or anything? I just don't want it getting back to my father, at least not now."

Ruby nodded slowly from her position on Weiss's shoulder, her hair brushing up against Weiss's cheek and neck. "Alright. We can do that." Weiss lifted Ruby's head off her shoulder, before turning around to face Ruby. She looked in Ruby's silver eyes for a moment, before reaching out in an instant and hugging the startled Ruby.

"Thank you for understanding." Weiss's voice was muffled, as her head was buried in Ruby's shoulder, but Ruby just pulled Weiss closer and nuzzled into Weiss's hair, enjoying the scent of freshly fallen snow that seemed to follow the heiress around. The sound of the door to the dorm opening once more got the pair's attention, to see a giggling Yang with her arm around Blake's waist as the faunus rolled her eyes at the blonde. Everyone paused for a brief moment, before Yang let go of Blake and practically leapt onto the pair on the bed, sweeping them up into her arms and nearly crushing their spines.

"Oh you two look so cute together! Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sis for melting the ice queen!" Yang let out a squeal, as the two attempted to pry Yang's arms off of them to no avail.

"Yang…can't…breathe…"came Ruby's choked off attempts at speech. Weiss was far less cordial.

"Put us down you big blonde oaf before you snap our spines!" Blake sighed, before sauntering forward. Pausing for a moment, Blake just grinning wickedly and smacked Yang on her rear, immediately making the blonde drop the two younger girls in shock as she spun around to face the faunus, who had put on an air of innocence. Blake just smiled at Yang, giving her a little wink as she spun about to head to her own bed, where a book with her name on it was waiting. Yang was just about to follow Blake to get some answers, and maybe another kiss, when all four of the girl's scrolls went off.

Ruby reached hers first, opening it to see a message from the Headmaster. Hitting play, Ozpin's voice came from the message. "Team's RWBY and JNPR, please report immediately to Professor Port's classroom." Ruby just blinked, confused, at her scroll, before shrugging.

"It's nearly dinner time, and it's the weekend. Why would they want us to go to Port's classroom?" Yang said, as confused as the rest.

Weiss stood up, desperately trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her outfit from her 'session' with Ruby not long ago. "Well, whatever it is, it sounds urgent. We should go." None of the other girl's disagreed, and they quickly left.

* * *

Team RWBY arrived at nearly the same time as Jaune and Pyrrha, the knight and the amazon looking about as rumpled as Weiss and Ruby still did. One look over each other and it was fairly obvious what everyone had been doing before being called, causing nervous chuckles all around. A commotion from down the hall had all six turning to see Nora tearing down the hallway, Ren being dragged along behind her with an indulgent look on his face. Yang noted the bite mark on Ren's neck and the same condition of his clothes as the rest, and did a fist pump, before winking at Blake and whispering 'Four' in her ear. Blake just elbowed Yang in the side lightly, before all of those assembled turned to each other, and the door. Yang gave Ruby a smack on the back, knocking her forward and causing her to turn and glare at her sister before taking a deep breath and opening it.

Ozpin was sitting casually at Port's desk, looking over his scroll, as Azure leaned up against it, arms crossed over his chest and an uncharacteristic look of frustration on his features. Both looked up as the door opened, before Ozpin gestured with his hand for the two teams to enter. "Please, come in, have a seat." Azure crossed his legs as he leaned on the desk, one of his feet restlessly tapping. Ozpin glanced at him askance, before turning to the two teams who had taken up seats in the first row of the classroom. Ozpin set down his mug and sighed, before placing his elbows on the desk and leaning forward, chin resting on top of his folded hands. "Let me preface this conversation with two things…one, you do not have to accept this. You are under no obligation to do this, as we would not normally ask students to take on such a task. Two, no one will think less of you if you say no, either." Both teams just looked at Ozpin, confused, before he sighed and exchanged glances with Azure. Azure nodded, pulling out his scroll and tapping a few buttons on it, followed by the sounds of the different scrolls of the two teams going off.

"I just sent you a report the headmaster received just yesterday. What you are looking at is a map of a small village on the outskirts of Vale. It is a known danger zone, one which has consistent attacks by Grimm, and one of the many areas hunters have often gone to clear Grimm out from. However, while small, it is of vital importance. Miss Schnee may recognize the village, as it is home to one of the larger Dust mines that the SDC owns. The village is known as Reisha." Weiss nodded slowly, recognizing the name if not the village itself. Ruby leapt up from her seat, a big grin stretching across her face as she waved excitedly, her hand in the air. Azure sighed, his index and middle finger pressed to his forehead as if to hold back a headache. "Yes, Miss Rose?"

"Are we going on a _mission_?!" Azure's face fell, and he gave Ozpin a deadpan look. Ozpin simply raised an eyebrow.

"You are, if you choose to. However, understand this…this may be one the most dangerous missions you have ever gone on, and will probably remain one for most of your careers. We would almost never send students on a mission like this, certainly not first years, but every other team is simply incapable of taking this mission at this time. And unfortunately, this is a very time sensitive mission." Jaune gulped slightly, nervous, but he seemed to calm slightly when Pyrrha patted him gently on the shoulder.

Blake leaned forward, speaking in her quiet voice. "What _is_ the mission?" Another glance was exchanged between the two men, before Azure looked back over the assembled two teams, before walking over to the closet in the classroom, pulling out one of Port's whiteboards that was not currently up, and spinning it around to show the picture on it.

"What do you know about Goliath's?"


	12. Chapter 12

Most of the members of team RWBY and JNPR were confused, having never heard of a Goliath before. But Ruby, still on her feet from before, began frantically waving her hand in the air again. Azure closed his eyes tightly and sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day before gesturing at her to continue.

"Oh, oh, I saw those at Mountain Glen. Professor, err, Doctor Oobleck told me about them. He said they are very old and very intelligent, and they don't normally attack humans because they know we'll come after them in bigger numbers for it. Oh, he also said my rifle wouldn't really hurt them…hurt my poor sweetheart's feelings." The last part was muttered under Ruby's breath, leading to Weiss to just glare at her and poke the red-head in the side, making her give a muffled yelp sound before glaring back at Weiss. Azure's voice called their attention back to the front.

"Yes, that's the very basics. However, he left a few things out. One of the most dangerous things about Goliath's is that their call attracts all Grimm within over fifteen kilometers. Any hunter attempting to bring down a herd of Goliath's must keep this in mind. Goliath's travel in small herds between three to ten individuals, although the most common is five to six." As Azure spoke, he began propped the whiteboard against the wall behind Port's desk, and began gesturing to the Goliath on it. "Goliath's are armored nearly everywhere on their body, the only unarmored spots are the back of the legs, back of the neck directly behind the skull, and the eye itself. Unfortunately, while the back of the legs are moderately easy targets, you cannot fully disable a Goliath that way. They heal far more rapidly than most Grimm do, and within minutes of being hamstrung, will be back to rampaging. The only kill spots are either the back of the neck directly behind the skull, or the eyes. Both are difficult…the eye is a small target even for a creature of its size, and the spot behind the skull requires you get to it, which Goliath's, intelligent as they are, are well aware of that weakness. Doesn't help their trunk can reach right there, thus making it very difficult to get at that spot without the Goliath attempting to knock you off." Azure strode in front of the desk and began pacing back and forth, his arms clasped behind him.

"Most hunters do not take on Goliath's. In most cases, Goliath's do not attack humans, and when we find ones that do, we tend to send specialty teams, ones who are experts on fighting Goliath's, either due to great experience, or semblances that lend themselves to such a task. My team is one such team which specializes in Goliath's, which is why I expect you to pay very careful attention to what I'm telling you. In fact, take notes, and a lot of them. Yes, even you Miss Xiao Long." Azure pointed directly at Yang with narrowed eyes. The blonde sighed, but got out her notebook and pencil and began scribbling along with the rest of the group. Azure nodded sharply before he continued his pacing.

"The accepted strategy to fight a Goliath herd involves quite a bit of pre-planning. You must first locate all Grimm nests of any kind within the fifteen kilometer threat range (generally, we extend it out to twenty, as some Goliath's are in fact louder than others), and calculate the time it would take for them to reach the battlefield. When choosing your battlefield, _never_ choose flat ground. Find places with lots of trees, mountainous areas, cliffs, etc. Places which you can easily use to get the high ground, as staying on the ground near rampaging Goliath's is a death sentence. After you have prepared the battlefield to your liking, you begin by splitting your team or teams into three groups. The first group is your main assault team. They are responsible for separating one Goliath from the herd and attacking it, wearing it down until the killing blow can be struck, or the Goliath is driven away. Yes, driving a Goliath away is a perfectly legitimate strategy, and if it can be done quickly, is sometimes preferred." Azure paused and took a sip of water from a bottle on Port's desk before continuing.

"The second group is your main ground force, the ones responsible for handling the extra Grimm who appear during the course of the battle. Until more Grimm arrive, they provide support for the first assault group, but as soon as Grimm arrive they must split off and begin handling them. Finally, the third group is the bait. They are responsible for grabbing the attention of the other Goliath's in the pack and holding it, until the target Goliath is dead or driven away. Of the three jobs, all three are equally dangerous, and extreme caution should be taken care regardless of what position you are playing in the fight. You should generally put some of your quickest members on bait duty, with your heavy hitters either on the ground force or the main assault force, depending on their weapons and semblances. Blades are most useful on the assault force, due to the precision required to strike either the eye or the back of the skull. Yes Miss Rose?" Ruby had once again raised her hand, waving it in the air.

"What position were you in? And why are you a specialist?"

Azure raised an eyebrow at Ruby. "I was the bait on my team. I rely very heavily on Dust magic, which makes it slightly easier for me to keep their attention. We specialized in Goliath's because of Magenta's semblance." Noticing the question in Ruby's eyes, he sighed. "Magenta's semblance is Unstoppable. Once she begins charging, she will continue through whatever is in her way, regardless of how strong it is. She can only go in a straight line however, and it takes her time to build up speed as well as slow down to aim. Therefore, Onyx held off the ground Grimm while I was the bait, and Tanya used her semblance to confuse and scare the target Goliath until it was in Maggie's crosshairs. However, as you are aware, my team is currently unable to take jobs, which is why you're getting this offer. Anything else?" Ruby shook her head no.

"Very well. As I was saying, Goliath's are one of the most dangerous foe's we hunters will ever face. Putting aside everything else they have in their power, their intelligence alone is bad enough. They are not stupid, but they suffer from the same rage problems all Grimm do. Which is why if you are the bait, poking them enough times will keep their attention locked on you. They also hold no loyalty to each other, and will happily abandon each other for their own safety. They only travel in herds out of habit, as far as we can tell. Oh, and their tusks cannot be blocked by aura, they pierce clean through it. If a Goliath comes at you in a charge, get out of the way, because they will gore you clean through as though your Aura was tissue paper." Azure paused to take another sip of water, before the quiet voice of Blake cut through the air.

"So what is the mission then? And why did you say we can turn it down?" Azure turned to Ozpin, before getting a nod to continue from the headmaster. He brought out a small projector, the same one he had previously lent Yang, and quickly hooked his scroll up to it. Ozpin scooted the seat out of the way as the same map Azure had previously sent to the two teams came up projected onto the wall. As he hit a few more buttons on his scroll, a series of red dots appeared, leading south towards the village. A moment later, multiple red circles appeared at different locations on the map, with distances from the village marked.

"This is a scouting report the headmaster received just this morning. The red dots indicate a travelling herd of Goliath's. Three, in this case. At the rate they are traveling, they will reach Reisha in two days' time. We do not know why they are heading directly into a human settlement, but at this point we don't have time to try to decipher it. Each of the red circles indicates a Grimm nest or pack territory within the twenty kilometer radius. With this village as far out as it is, Grimm are fairly common in the area. We have identified two moderate sized Beowulf packs, an Ursa den with at least one Ursa Major, a Nevermore roost with at least three of the birds, a Deathstalker nest, with at least two, possibly three of them. We have not been able to confirm or deny the presence of Creeps or King Tajitu's, but the scouts reported they believe at least two of the snakes exist, with these two blue circles here showing where they found the tracks. A Boarbatusk herd roams is located here, however, scout's also reported that they come into conflict with the Beowulf pack which overlaps the herd's territory, so both of these may in fact be more interested in fighting each other than you." Azure lifted his head up from his scroll to look over the assembled teenagers, before turning to look at Ozpin, who took a sip from his mug and began speaking.

"The only reason this mission is being asked of you is that every other hunter in or near Vale, even the teachers here, are out on other missions. Right now we have an abundance of unusual Grimm activity around Vale and we simply do not have the resources to defend them all. As of now, the only hunters in this school are myself, Azure, and first and second year students. Which is why this is merely a request…I would go myself, but someone needs to keep an eye on the student's. Azure will be going with you, but in an advisory and viewing capability only. He will be in the village, watching over your efforts and reporting on how well you handle this scenario. But you can turn this down."

Ren raised his hand, waiting for Ozpin to gesture to him. "What happens if we do turn it down?"

Ozpin shared a glance with Azure, before speaking. "We would have to evacuate the village. Which we may do anyway, but we cannot be certain we have the time or resources to fully evacuate the populace. That is why we are asking this of you. We are out of options, and I have confidence in you. Somehow, you've managed to get entangled in multiple situations first year students have no business in, and yet you've come out unscathed. That is why I am offering this mission to you. But make no mistake…this is a mission we would normally only send experienced huntsman and huntresses on, and generally in even larger groups unless we had specialists. As such, you will have access to all of Beacon's resources, including any Dust you may need, whatever research you need done, etc."

"How much time do we have?" Pyrrha asked, eyes narrowed.

"We'd need to leave late tomorrow evening in order to get to the village in time. The trip takes about two hours, and you'll want to be settled in at the temporary house before you begin your mission the following morning." Azure said.

"So we have one day to plan?" Blake replied, disbelief evident in her tone. Azure and Ozpin nodded in sync. A short look was shared between the members of team RWBY and JNPR, but before anything could be said Ozpin raised his hand to forestall any response.

"Please…take a few minutes to discuss it amongst yourselves. We'll leave you to it. Simply call us back in when you've decided. Again, you are under no obligation to accept this mission." Azure left the room, leaving his scroll still displaying the report up on the screen, Ozpin following right after. The moment the door clicked shut, Ruby spoke up.

"Guys, we can't say no. We can't just let the village get destroyed cause we're afraid. We can do it! I know we can!" Ruby was supported by the one everyone felt was most unlikely to want to do the mission.

"She's right. We have no choice. We have to." Jaune spoke, making everyone look at him in disbelief, not expecting support from that corner. A few moments of silence were had, before Ruby spoke slowly.

"Is…anyone going to disagree?" A bunch of shaken heads answered her, and she just blinked. "I kinda expected more of an argument." Collective shrugs were had, before Yang strolled over to the door and opened it, gesturing for the two waiting men to enter.

"We're in!" Ruby declared proudly.

"Well, that was quick." Azure commented dryly. The room just shrugged. Azure shared another look with Ozpin, who nodded to the room.

"Well, with that, I will leave you in the capable hands of Azure. Be careful." Azure walked over to his scroll and began fiddling with it, as Ozpin left. Another beeping sounded from the two team's scrolls, as Azure sent over the scouting report.

"Unless you have other questions about Goliath's, I suggest you head to dinner and review the report. If I may make a few more suggestions before you leave, however…first, I strongly suggest that Ruby and Jaune sit down together and determine who is going to be leading what, as well as begin splitting your group into their respective sections for the battle. Also review your Dust and ammunition supplies, and decide what you will carry with you. Since the village is often frequented by hunters, there is in fact a house set aside for visiting hunters to use. You won't need camping supplies, nor food for this, as the house is kept well stocked by the mayor of Reisha for situations such as these. I will be providing you with headsets and button cameras when we reach the house, so that I can monitor your progress." Azure paused, placing his hand on his chin as he looked up, thinking.

"Let's see, did I forget anything? Oh, right." Azure grabbed his bag and rummaged through it, before pulling out a silver Dust crystal and presenting it to the gathered teams. Walking forward, he placed it in front of Ruby. "This is one of Oobleck's little devices he makes in his off time. This crystal is for emergencies only, I know he does not have many made yet, although he is working on getting more created. If you channel aura into it and throw it, not unlike a grenade, it will explode in a burst of light and sound that disorients and confuses nearby Grimm. While the light is somewhat blinding for humans as well, the sound is above the register humans can hear so you are safe from that. It only lasts for a few minutes however, so if you use it, be sure to take advantage of the time it gives you. Any other questions?" Azure glanced over the gathered teams, noting how Weiss quickly grabbed the crystal from in front of Ruby and examining it, clearly intrigued. When no response came, he nodded sharply.

"Very well. I'll leave you to your dinner and you plans. I'll be in my office, if you need to requisition anything from the Beacon stores come to me. If not, I will see you at the airport tomorrow evening, about 9 P.M." Azure turned on his heel, grabbed his scroll and bag, and left the room.

* * *

Weiss's eyebrow twitched, her arms crossed on her chest as she huffed indignantly. Beside her, Pyrrha was in no better condition, glaring at her leader. Ruby and Jaune had been closeted at a table in the library ever since dinner, shoved up so close to each other it almost looked like they were in each other's laps as they went over maps, strategies, and tactics for the upcoming battle. To the unaware observer, it almost looked like the two of them were a couple snuggling close and studying intently. Behind the heiress and the amazon, the other four members of team's RWBY and JNPR were trying their hardest to hold in their giggles at the sight of the two clearly jealous girlfriends, and their completely ignorant partner's. Even Ren had a smile on his face, his hand over his mouth as his shoulders shook in quiet mirth.

Weiss spun about to glare at the foursome. "What is so funny?" Pyrrha turned around to give her best glare as well, fairly certain as to what the four found funny but not wanting to say it out loud.

"Oh, it's just cute how jealous you two are, princess."

Weiss's eyes widened as her cheeks went pink, jaw gaping open for a moment before she composed herself. "Jealous? Me? Of course I'm not jealous you, you, you oaf! I'm just concerned our leader isn't going to get enough sleep if she keeps pushing herself, we have all day tomorrow!"

"Or concerned she's going to be sleeping with Jauney boy, eh?" Pyrrha and Weiss's jaws dropped at Yang's statement.

" _What_!?" Came the shriek from Weiss, prompting the nearby students to shush her as other's cringed, their ears hurt by the high pitched screech. Yang just grinning and pointed at the leaders. When the two 'concerned' girls turned, they saw Jaune reaching his hand around behind Ruby, rubbing her back as Ruby stretched, seemingly uncomfortable from the cramped position they had been in for hours. Weiss and Pyrrha took one look at each other before nodding in unison and stomping over to the table the blonde and red-head were sitting at.

The four outsiders watched, amused, as Weiss and Pyrrha began quietly arguing with the two leaders, who seemed utterly confused by their partner's irritation, before Pyrrha lost her patience. So quickly no one could react, Pyrrha yanked Jaune out of his chair and threw him over her shoulder before stalking out of the library, the few student's still in the library just staring, confused. Weiss, not quite as strong as Pyrrha was, simply grabbed Ruby's hand and start dragging her out of the library, scolding her the whole way while Ruby continued to express her confusion. The last four members of the two teams shared an amused look, before following the other members of their teams back to their dorms.

* * *

The click of a lock sounded, before the door opened, spilling light from the streetlights into the dark house. Azure slapped a switch on the wall, causing soft light to spill out from an overhead lamp, lighting up the large living room. RWBY and JNPR followed Azure into the house, carrying bags full of extra Dust and ammunition. The house seemed fairly large, with an open doorway leading to what looked to be a kitchen/dining area to the left, and a small staircase in the back leading to what was presumably the upstairs. Azure tossed his own bag on the couch in the middle of the room, before splaying out on it. He yawned for a second, before gesturing at the last one in the door, Jaune, to close it behind him.

"Ok, place has four bedrooms, each with a double bed, and two bathrooms. I'm taking the couch down here, you can share with your partners." At the sudden series of blushes and stammered excuses, he facepalmed. "Oh come on, you think I didn't notice the hand holding, sickeningly sweet cuddling, and random kisses you all kept sneaking when I wasn't looking? Go share the damned beds already. Just remember two things, I don't want to hear a sound, and you need all your strength for tomorrow, so keep the fooling around to a minimum, capiche?"

"Wait…you're encouraging this? Aren't you supposed to be the responsible adult or whatever?" Weiss asked, disbelief evident in her tone.

Azure lifted an eyebrow at her, still sprawled out on the couch as though he didn't have a care in the world. "One, I'm not that much older than you all. Two, it's not like I could stop you if I wanted, you guys share dorms back at Beacon anyways; plus you're all nearly adults yourselves. And three, you have a mission that has a high probability of getting you all killed tomorrow. May as well have some fun before you go. Now, off to bed with you all, you have to get up early to get to that spot you chose for your fight before the Goliath's do." Ruby yanked Weiss up into her arms bridal style and disappeared up the stairs in a flurry of rose petals, the sounds of Weiss's indignant protests carrying down in her wake. The other three couples went up at a more sedate pace, but Azure winced as he noticed Yang slapping Blake on her rear. Yang turned and winked at Azure, who just rolled his eyes. "Children…" he muttered to himself.

* * *

Up in the room Ruby had claimed for herself and Weiss, the heiress's protests had already been cut off by the very insistent lips of her partner. Weiss had long ago given up on fighting with Ruby, her mind in a state of bliss at the feeling of Ruby's warm strawberry flavored lips pressed up against her own chilled ones. Ruby had lain on top of Weiss, her hands gently stroking Weiss's face and neck as she deepened the kiss. Weiss's arms had wrapped around her back, one sliding up to tangle in the reaper's hair as the other stroked along Ruby's spine, leading to a small breathy moan to come from Ruby's lips. The sound if it seemed to ignite something within Weiss, as she suddenly broke her lips from Ruby's and started nipping at her neck, before trailing kisses up the side of her jaw to her ear. Operating on instinct, Weiss nibbled lightly on Ruby's earlobe, causing the younger girl to go rigid as she hissed out a curse. Weiss drew back, eyes wide open and fearful.

"Ruby? I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

Ruby shook slightly, burying her head in Weiss's neck, taking a deep breath before relaxing against the heiress. "No, no, nononono. Nothing wrong. That just…umm…that really…you know. It really worked." Ruby watched as Weiss struggled to figure out what she meant for a moment, before her eyes flashed ino understanding and a devious smirk came across the heiress's face. Ruby narrowed her eyes at Weiss, worried what that look meant, but she didn't have long to worry as Weiss suddenly went for her ear again. Ruby was unprepared for it, and so didn't keep down the volume of her groan that sounded out, but she found it falling into a sudden 'eep' sound as Weiss rolled over so she was on top, not stopping in her assault on Ruby's ear and neck. One particularly hard bite had Ruby's back arcing off the bed as her nails dug into Weiss's back, this time making the heiress go rigid. Before Ruby could express her own concerns, Weiss shushed her with another kiss, before sliding one of her hands down Ruby's neck, slowly traveling down. When her hand reached the curve of Ruby's breast, she froze for a second before yanking her hand back as though burned, sitting up immediately and breaking the kiss, her breath coming out in short pants as she tried to get herself under control. Ruby cocked her head at Weiss, worried, reaching up to grab the heiress's hand.

"Weiss? What's wrong?"

Weiss took a big gulp of air, before looking down into Ruby's concerned silver eyes. "I…I'm sorry. I couldn't control myself. I'm sorry. You didn't give me permission to do that."

Ruby smiled indulgently at Weiss, before pulling her back down. She wrapped her arms around Weiss and gently pulled the heiress's head to her chest, leaving her cheek against her heart. "Thanks for caring about my permission, but I didn't mind. So don't worry about it. But umm…let's save this for after the mission. I think we do want to be at full strength, and while I'd love to spend more time like this, I think we should get to sleep."

Weiss nodded, her eyes already closed as the rhythmic sound of Ruby's heartbeat soothed her. Without looking up, Weiss spoke, her voice so quiet Ruby had to strain to hear. "I think I love you, Ruby Rose."

Ruby giggled, the vibrations doing interesting things to the area of Ruby's chest beneath the heiress's cheek. "I think I love you too, Weiss Schnee. Now go to sleep. We have some Grimm to kill in the morning." Weiss didn't have to open her eyes to see the grin on Ruby's face, well aware of how the prospect of being a heroic huntress filled her partner with such innocent joy. Weiss just smiled herself, hugging Ruby closer as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The sound of a loud moan coming from the next room over caused Yang to break the lip-lock she had with Blake, causing both partner's to look over to the wall separating the rooms. Yang looked down at Blake, smiling at the sight of her normally composed partner panting, her hair spread all around below her. "Well, sure sounds like those two are having fun." Not a moment later, a loud crash and a yelp sounded from the room to the other side, followed by a musical 'I'm sorry!' coming right after it. At that, Yang lost her composure, burying her head in the pillow next to Blake's head and laughing into it. Yang could feel the shaking of Blake's shoulders as she laughed as well, her quiet chuckle counterpoint to Yang's muffled guffaws. Blake gently stroked Yang's hair, before kissing her on the cheek.

"C'mon blondie, we should probably get to sleep."

Yang sighed, before rolling off Blake and lying next to her. "I dunno, I wanna kiss you more. A lot more."

Blake flushed slightly, before placing her hand over Yang's face and pushing her away gently. "I wouldn't mind that, but we do need to be ready for tomorrow. But you know this means you had best be careful, ok blondie?"

"Aww, is my kitty cat worried about me?"

Blake's unamused glare made Yang gulp. "First off, I'm not a kitty cat, cut out the nicknames already. Secondly, yes, I am worried about you, because you rush in without thinking and we're going to be fighting for our lives and I don't want you getting hurt. So be careful, ok?"

Yang smiled at Blake, before pulling her close and kissing her forehead gently. "Of course I will be. I have you to come home to. Same applies to you though. You aren't allowed to get hurt."

Blake raised an eyebrow at Yang. "Not allowed?"

Yang shook her head. "Nope. Not allowed. No Blake getting hurt."

Blake rolled her eyes and smiled back at Yang, before snuggling deeper into Yang's arms, enjoying the heat that her partner exuded. "Alright. Goodnight, Yang." A few moments of silence passed, as Blake fell deeper into Morpheus's realm.

Just as she fell into the depths of sleep, Yang whispered in the faunus's ear. "I love you. Goodnight."


	13. Chapter 13

The battlefield had been chosen with great care by Ruby and Jaune, taking Azure's comments into account. Noticing that the path the Goliath's were headed on led them past a small cliff that went about thirty feet into the air, they selected that as the base point. Arriving early in the morning, the members of both teams proceeded to create their own clearing near the cliff, leaving trees on the edges to use as springboards but still leaving room for maneuver. It took little time to prep the field as they wanted, between the prodigious strength of Yang and Nora and the precision strikes Ruby and Pyrrha used to slash the trees down. Once this was accomplished, they got in their positions. Ruby stood atop the cliff, having chosen to be the bait, to the loud protests from both Yang and Weiss. She reasoned with her speed, and assistance from the other members of the team, she could easily harass the massive Grimm and still say safe. Especially with the rather ingenious (in their mind's anyways) plan Jaune and Ruby had come up with.

They would rely on the trees, cliff, and a combination of the other members of the ground crew to keep Ruby from ever having to actually touch the ground, thus enabling her to keep leaping through the air at great speeds, making it that much more difficult for anything to touch her. It had been decided Ruby would have overall command of the battle, using her vantage point to keep the group updated on what was arriving and from where, while Jaune would command the ground forces and keep an eye on when Ruby needed another boost. Pyrrha, Weiss, and Yang were to be the main assault team responsible for separating a Goliath and bringing it down as quickly as possible. The killing blow would most likely have to come from Weiss or Pyrrha, but Yang was involved mostly to keep the attention of the massive creature, as she had the best chance of handling any hits it landed. The ground crew would consist of Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Blake would switch between assault and ground forces as needed.

Ruby kept her eyes detailed on the direction the Goliath's were supposed to be arriving from, although they had a good half hour based on the scout's estimations before they arrived. Blake and Ren had taken to the trees on the southern edge of the clearing, keeping an eye out for the arrival of the Goliath's as well. Yang and Nora kept up small talk as they waited on the northern edge of the clearing, while Weiss, Pyrrha, and Jaune were going over last minute adjustments to the field. Ruby fiddled with the small button camera attached to the front of her corset, trying to adjust it as she listened through the headset in her ear to her teammate's conversations. Knowing Azure was listening and watching to them made her stop, not wanting to mess it up. A sudden movement in the south had her snapping to attention, making her narrow her eyes as she looked. Tree tops shook as the tree trunks bent slightly, one crashing to the ground and alerting the sensitive ears of Blake.

"Ruby? Did you see that?" Came Blake's voice over the comms, immediately silencing everyone else.

Ruby spoke out. "Yeah. One of the trees just fell, and the others are shaking. But this is way too early, isn't it?"

Jaune's voice sounded out, surprisingly calm. "Maybe they started moving faster? It was only an estimate."

Ruby nodded, even though she realized none of her team could see it. "I guess. Looks like they are nearly here, maybe a hundred meters out. Let's get into position guys. We got this!" A chorus of confident affirmatives sounded out, as each member of the team melted back into the northern section of the forest. The plan hinged on Ruby making the first major strike, to grab the attention of the beasts, as Pyrrha and Yang followed it up immediately splitting one of them away to follow them. Blake and Ren quickly crossed to the northern section, but climbed back up into the trees, hoping to keep a better vantage point until they were needed. The teams collectively held their breath, as they felt the vibrations below their feet marking the approach of the massive creatures. The thundering crashes of their footfalls along with the whispers of the trees as their branches swayed from the force of the passage of the Grimm marked the approach. The quick sounds of multiple weapon's cocking or extending into their full forms were the only noises the teenagers made besides their nearly silent breaths, slightly frosting on the morning air.

A moment later, the first Goliath stepped almost daintily into the clearing. Up close, the creature was even larger and more intimidating than Ruby had remembered, the nearly tangible feeling of power it possessed making Ruby pause for a moment. Shaking her head, she rubbed her hands together quickly before grabbing onto the handle of Crescent Rose. Standing at the very edge of the cliff, she waited for the creature to pass just below her.

Goliath's are intelligent and ancient Grimm, often living for hundreds of years at a time. In that time, they often have fended off attacks from countless huntsman and huntresses, as well as from lesser Grimm who don't always make the most intelligent of choices. They are also incredibly large. Which is why it's understandable they seldom expect attacks to come from above them. None of the three beasts noticed the dash of red on the cliff wall, nor the silent descent of said red, until it landed solidly on the back of the lead Goliath, followed swiftly by a point blank sniper shot straight into its spine. The armor on its back was sturdy, and deflected the shot, but that did not mean it went unnoticed.

A trumpeting cry rang out from the Goliath's trunk, swiftly followed by one from the two following it, the volume of the sound making Blake's ears lay flat on her head as she winced in slight discomfort. A cacophony of sounds erupted nearly at the same time as the Grimm began stomping around, attempting to buck the intruder of its back as its trunk swept backwards in an attempt to grab at the creature who _dared_ to step on its back. Ruby was not going to stick around for that, and shot up into the air, firing a few shots down for some extra height as she leapt back to the clifftop. As the Grimm turned their heads to look up at her, the sounds of Ember Celica and Milo sounded out as Yang and Pyrrha selected the Goliath in the back, hammering away at it with blasts from Yang and precision shots from Pyrrha. With a roar of rage, the one in the back turned to face the brawler and amazon, charging straight towards them, the earth shaking with its thunderous footsteps. As the other two Grimm turned to look, Ruby dropped off the cliff again, this time landing on the back of the second Goliath. Sending off a rapid salvo of shots from Crescent Rose, she struck both Goliath's with her shots, before leaping onto the cliff wall, slamming Crescent Rose's tip into the stone to hold her against it. As the Grimm turned, its trunk lifted to swipe at her, Ruby leapt off the wall again, clearing the backs of the two Goliath's and began free falling to the ground.

Immediately, Jaune ran forward, placing his shield over his head under her estimated fall position. Ruby landed lightly on it, bending her legs and leaping off his shield, before landing on a hastily created Glyph from Weiss. Jaune quickly staggered backwards, out of the way of the two now charging Goliath's, as Ruby attempted to lead them back towards the south section of the forest. Jaune turned to see that Yang had grabbed ahold of the Goliath's trunk and was trying to hold it down with Nora's help as Pyrrha approached from the other side, but its strength flung her and the hammer wielder off into the woods. Both girls quickly righted themselves midair, Yang letting herself impact into a tree, using it to begin powering her semblance, as Nora planted her feet onto the tree and rebounded herself back into the fight with a loud cheer.

Less than a minute had passed before a crackle sounded in their headsets as Ruby's voice came over the comms. "Umm, guys?"

"What? Are you ok Ruby?" Weiss's worried voice sounded out, even as she was leaping over the Goliath's trunk, attempting to stab into its eye but missing, the point of Myrtenaster being deflected by the Grimm mask.

"Yeah so, the Nevermore's and Beowulf's are here. Also, need another Glyph." Weiss gestured, a glyph forming in Ruby's path instantly.

"What? They're five minutes ahead of schedule! It's barely been one minute!" Came Jaune's explosive reply as he checked the watch he had on his wrist.

"Yeah well, schedule or not they are here. Time to kick some ass." Yang's confident voice sounded out as she punched the Goliath in its leg as hard as she could, feeling the satisfying crunch of bone as the Grimm bellowed, before it kicked out, narrowly missing crushing Yang's skull.

"She's right. It's our turn now, Jaune." Ren's quiet voice rang out clearly even in the din of battle.

Jaune nodded just as the first Beowulf's began pouring out of the woods. "Alright ground team, let's do this. Nora, Blake, bring the birds down. Ren, you're with me." Pyrrha grinned slightly, happy to hear Jaune speaking confidently, no trace of fear in his voice. He still had a long way to go to be the warrior she knew he could be, but he could do this.

Jaune sounded confident, but he and Ruby had spent over two hours doing the math on the distance Grimm could travel. Being a half a minute off, that was to be expected. Maybe an entire minute. But a full five? Something was off. His worries were reinforced by another report from Ruby, informing the group that the Ursa had arrived, in less than three minutes. The Ursa were supposed to be at least eight minutes away. He shook his head. Now was not the time, they had more pressing concerns. Ren and he could not hold all the Grimm off, not this early, and it would take time for Nora and Blake to bring down Nevermore's. Quickly thinking over, he decided it was time to switch tactics.

"Nora, Blake, forget the birds. Use the trees and the Goliath's for cover from their feathers, they can't possibly swoop down into this clearing, it's far too tight for them. With luck they'll hit some of the ones on the ground. Yang, switch out with Ren, we need your firepower. Pyrrha, Weiss, we need that Grimm down as soon as possible, anything you can do, we'd appreciate." Jaune was pleased to note no one questioned him, simply adjusting their tactics instantly.

"I've got an idea," came the reply from Ruby. "Weiss, immobilize the trunk with a glyph, that way Pyrrha can get a clean shot at its eye. Can you do that?"

Weiss gave a snort of derision, reminded of their first major battle together. Smirking, she replied. "Can I?" Ruby's giggles sounded through the headset, as Weiss leapt into position. A quick series of gestures from her hands and a twist of Myrtenaster, and a small black glyph suddenly locked around the Goliath's trunk, freezing it in place. With no hesitation, Pyrrha leapt up, grabbing onto a branch overhead and flinging herself up onto it. Dashing down the length of it, she leapt off, landing perfectly on the tusk of the Goliath. Staring straight into its hateful eyes, Pyrrha drew back Milo and gave one perfect thrust, straight into and through the eye. Not trusting anything to chance, she swiftly drew her weapon back and back flipped off the tusk, landing next to Weiss. A brief moment of silence fell, before the Goliath gave a pained groan and collapsed, its corpse already smoldering. A cheer erupted from the group, with boisterous cries of 'one down!' coming from Yang and Nora. Even Ren joined the cheer, before he was interrupted by the need to duck under a swipe from an Ursa.

"Alright guys, that's one down, but we got two more to go. Let's split them off Ruby and-"Before Jaune could finish that sentence, Ruby interrupted him

"Deathstalkers and Boarbatusk incoming! Second Beowulf pack not far behind!"

Jaune blinked, startled. "There is no way our math was that far off. They had to travel ten kilometers, they aren't that fast! Something is way off here!" Jaune's mind was spinning, trying to figure out how they were so far off, before a cry from Nora made him spin around, just in time to barely duck as Nora flew past him from some impact. The telltale hiss of a King Tajitu sounded out, and Jaune watched in what felt like slow motion as the two headed serpent came slithering into the clearing from the southern side, the one they had heard no Grimm had lived. The sounds of Nora grumbling, annoyed but unharmed, reassured Jaune of one thing, before he spoke up again. "Ok, this is a problem."

Ruby's voice sounded out across his headset. "Yeah, but I don't care. We're doing this! We're not letting them touch that village!" Jaune took courage from Ruby's words, before closing his eyes and recalculating again. Seconds later, he re-opened his eyes and began barking out orders.

"Yang, give Nora a boost. Nora, snake is all yours, put it down ASAP. Ren, Blake, Deathstalker's are your responsibility, try to get rid of the stingers. Ruby, fire a couple shots at the Nevermore's, see if we can't get them to send some feathers down and clear out the trash. Yang, after you throw Nora, break as many Ursa as you can, but try not to set the field on fire. Weiss, freeze the Boarbatusk's soon as they arrive, they can't break your ice like the bigger ones can, should buy us some time. Weiss, Pyrrha, pick your target and see if you can't do the same thing to it." Jaune ducked under the claw of another Beowulf, before stabbing straight out, keeping his arm straight as Pyrrha taught him. Impaling the Beowulf, he looked around. Seeing everyone switching to their new roles smoothly, he couldn't help but grin.

Jaune finally had a chance to be useful to his friends. Over and over he'd watched as his friends had protected him, defended him, and supported him even as he proved over and over he was not on their level. But none of them had given up on him. None of them had wrote him off, and Pyrrha ended up taking him under her wing to train. Even as he moved in the patterns she had taught him, his body moving nearly subconsciously as it remembered her lessons, he just smiled as he thought of the amazon and how she had blessed him. She gave him her time, her help, and now, her heart. He would not squander this chance she had given him. No matter what came at him, he would do his level best to help and support her, and show her how much he loved her.

* * *

Ren felt free. As he leapt over another Deathstalker claw, Stormflower blazing as he pummeled the scorpion Grimm in an attempt to distract it from Blake's approach, he only felt freedom. Every move a choreographed dance, one he had become an expert in, even as he danced with friend and foe. The sounds of his teammates and friends coming over the headset, the din of battle, it was just music to him. Lie Ren did not often get an opportunity to feel so free. Life in the dorm's was stifling for him, the classes engaging but still did not feel free. They were too structured, too orderly. Ren's life was always ordered, even before he had a choice in the matter, his life had been ordered. Nora had saved him from that world, one where his very personality would be ground into the dust, becoming just another robot in a world of robots.

Here, on the battlefield, Ren could live. Facing down humanities ancient foe, with his friends, his team, and his Nora, he felt pure freedom coursing through him. It brought a smile to his normally stoic face. The other's had no idea how he could so easily deal with Nora, but that's because they did not see that Ren truly needed the chaos that Nora brought to his life. He had been stuck in that world of rules and laws for so long he could never fully break out of it. It was ingrained in his very soul at this point. But Nora, she could break that stranglehold his past had on him, just by being herself. He guessed that was what had drawn him to her in the first place…she was the first person he had met with no rules that limited her life. She didn't just break the rules, she didn't see them at all. To her, rules didn't exist. And for Ren, that was an eye-opener. It gave him a new lease on life, and it led to him coming to Beacon, making his first true friends beyond Nora.

In his eyes, she was a warrior angel, sent from the heavens to give Ren a chance to be himself, and not the person his past had tried to create. A quick glance at her as she flew past him, propelled by Yang's gauntlets to slam into the white head of the Tajitu, nearly crushing it under her strength, her smile wide and innocent on her face as she laughed. Ren could only chuckle to himself. He knew the others would never understand why Nora would never say they were dating…dating was the wrong word for them. Ren needed Nora, and Nora needed Ren. As simple and complex as an individual made it. Ren would never give up on the world Nora had shown him.

* * *

Nora was having so much _fun_! She cackled to herself as she smashed another Ursa away, sending it flying into an unsuspecting Beowulf, crushing the wolf Grimm under the bulk of the Ursa. A quick flip of her weapon and she launched another series of grenades at the Deathstalker Blake and Ren were fighting, before she had to jump backwards to dodge the strike from the black half of the Tajitu. A quick spin of Magnhild had its back in its hammer form, and she swung it with all her considerable might right into the mouth of the serpent, knocking all its fangs clean out of its mouth and stunning it. A quick grin at the snake, before she winked at it and blew it a kiss, as she launched herself straight up into the air using the recoil from the grenade blast, coming screaming down on top of it like a bolt of lightning. As it collapsed, she took a second to breathe as she looked around at her teammates.

Catching sight of Ren dashing around the field, Stormflower slashing through the belly of a Beowulf before he leapt over another swipe from the Deathstalker which ended up catching the unfortunate Beowulf instead, Nora's grin softened. She really did love watching Ren fight, it was like a ballet, a quick and tempered dance of death. It was the same reason she had never interfered with his fight in the Emerald Forest…she knew Ren could take on one King Tajitu, and she just adored watching him fight. Ren had made her understand people better, but more than anything else, Ren had helped her find a purpose in life. She had been so adrift, so unsure of what to do, so alone, until Ren had entered her life. He had helped reign in her more wild habits, ones that kept her from ever finding a purpose, and now he was hers. That handsome, quiet boy was hers. And no one was going to take him from her, especially not some measly Grimm. Eyes narrowed, manic grin back in place, Nora yelled out a battle cry as she re-entered the fray.

* * *

Pyrrha was in her element. Another shot fired, another dodge to swap places with Weiss. A quick toss of her shield, holding it in place with her semblance for Ruby to rebound off of as she continued her aerial combat, before Blake leapt up and threw her shield back to her just in time for her to deflect one of the Goliath's tusks. A thrown spear barely missing the eye, before it came flying back to her just as she rolled to the side to avoid the charge. A tiny smile had made its way to her face, one which she tried to suppress, but it was difficult not to feel pride. Not in herself, but in her teammates and her friends.

Her entire life had been spent training over and over, forcing herself to go further and further each time. Complacency got you killed. Arrogance, pride, these were enemies as much as the Grimm were. You could not stop moving, you had to be better, be faster, be stronger. You could not make a mistake, because the first mistake made was the last mistake. She wasn't sure when she had realized that she had forgotten what it was like to feel like someone cared about her, but it almost broke her to know that she would never be thought of as anything but a weapon. Not that her parent's thought any differently of her. The moment her talents were seen, they saw her as simply a tool, someone to use to further their own ambitions.

Until Beacon. Until a bumbling, confused blonde boy had stumbled into her, having no idea who she was, and flirting with her with the _worst_ pickup lines she had ever heard. Until she'd formed a team with him, a boy who simply did not care about her past, and the most rambunctious and insane person she had ever met. Until she had fought besides the people who would go on to become her team and her best and only friends she'd ever had. Even the one girl who knew her ended up treating her as human, looking up to her as a role model, not a weapon, not a tool, but a person. Beacon had brought her a true reason to be the warrior she seemed destined to be. But more than that, it had given her a home, something she hadn't had before. Pyrrha knew, as long as she had these people in her life, and especially the knight that had stolen her heart, she would always have a home wherever they were.

* * *

Blake didn't have the answers yet, not to her goals. She still wanted to make the world a better place for her people, still wanted to help stop her former allies in the White Fang, but right now, there was no gray area to this. This was black and white, good vs evil, a fight humans and faunus had been doing for millennia now. It may never end, but that didn't change what she was doing here was _right_. Leaping off a clone, she threw Gambol Shroud up, firing a shot to give it greater force as it embedded itself in a tree just behind the Deathstalker. Swinging off it, she swung her sheath as she passed its tail, slicing clean through it, causing the scorpion Grimm to go into a frenzy, causing far more damage to the smaller Grimm near it than to the hunters attacking it.

The sounds of battle were a constant echo in Blake's sensitive ears, but she had no problems picking out the explosive sounds of Yang even in the midst of the fight. A sigh escaped her as she smiled softly, thinking about the blonde menace that had taken her from the shadows and into the light. Yang hadn't given up on her when so many others would have, she'd been there for the faunus from day one. And then she had told the faunus she had feelings for her. Thinking back to that moment, Blake could only smile as the same warm feeling spread through her from that day. Yang was loud and obnoxious at times, but then something would happen, and suddenly Yang was like a sun, chasing away the darkness and the nightmares for everyone around her. She'd just extend her warm embrace and everything would be ok again.

Blake was glad she had met the brawler, and her red cloaked little sister. Oh who was she kidding, she was even glad she had met Weiss. Weiss had changed, had listened to her, and had changed in her views about the faunus. And who better to help her change the world than the girl who would one day control the entirety of all dust supplied to Remnant? Blake had found a new cause here, a chance to right wrongs as a huntress, with a team who would stand by her no matter what. With her new friends, and especially her own sunshine in Yang, she could do anything.

* * *

Yang felt so _alive_! Another punch, watching as the Ursa stumbled back, ablaze from her Semblance, setting others on fire around it. A quick spin and leap, dropkicking another one of the bear Grimm, before landing on her back. A quick kip-up and she was back in stance, just in time to dodge a swipe from an Ursa Major. A quick grin as she crossed her arms over her chest, taking the next swipe dead on, the force of it driving her back, heels skidding through the grass and dirt before she stopped. Lowering her arms, her red eyes glaring into the hateful eyes of the Grimm, before a smirk crossed her face. A quick blast from Ember Celica had her flying back towards the creature, fist cocked, hair glowing. Flames erupted around her as she flew, scorching the ground, before she swung, her fist breaking clean through the pay the Ursa threw up to try to block her punch, before landing dead center on it. A tremendous explosion sounded as her punch, aided by another shot from her gauntlets, went clean through the Ursa, blowing a hole in its torso. A quick whoop of victory, before she turned her attention to her next victim.

This was what she wanted from her life. A life where everything was fire and speed, where she didn't have to worry about the future because the now was what mattered. A life where adventure waited for her around every corner, and in the process she could help others. She loved helping people, but she just didn't want to be tied down. Hunting was the perfect job for that. And it didn't hurt she got the girl too. A glance over to see Blake and Ren toppling a second Deathstalker together made her grin cockily, thinking about how much she loved her quiet kitty cat. Not only was she totally kickass, smart, and so sweet when she wanted to be, she was one damn good looking woman. Distracted slightly as she watched Blake bend nearly in half in midair as she flew backwards, dodging an attack, she barely managed to avoid the Beowulf launching itself at her. A jab and blast from Ember Celica straight to its head ended that quickly.

Before she came to Beacon, Yang's whole world was her little sister. But now, her world had expanded. Ruby would always hold a special place in Yang's heart, but now others had their own spot carved out for them. Even Vomit-Boy had his own spot, right next to his Amazonian girlfriend. And now, one big spot just for Blake Belladonna, the Faunus who tamed the dragon. This was the life she wanted, and here, she got it.

* * *

A graceful slash came from Myrtenaster, severing the tendons in the back of the Goliath's legs. It may heal soon, but hopefully it would hold it still long enough for her and Pyrrha to finish it off. The massive Grimm were as intelligent as they had been warned…apparently this one had seen the method Weiss and Pyrrha had used to slay its brethren, and it refused to fall for the same trick. It had kept itself as close to the center of the clearing as it could, uncaring about the other Grimm it trampled beneath its legs, just to be certain they could not easily reach its head. It kept them on the ground as much as it could, while wildly swinging its trunk to prevent Weiss from getting a bead on it to lock it down with her glyphs. But it didn't matter. Working with Pyrrha, Weiss knew they could bring it down. Pyrrha certainly lived up to her reputation, seemingly able to fight on multiple levels simultaneously. Even as she was battling the Goliath, she had repeatedly given Ruby another lift into the air, or thrown Milo or Akouo to help another one of their teammates before calling them back with her semblance.

Here though, with her friends around her, Weiss knew she could do anything she put her mind to. First year students, teenagers, were bringing down Grimm that full-fledged hunters had trouble doing. She had found herself an amazing team, full of power, grace, and synergy with each other. It was not unlike the fight with Roman in the Paladin, but even better. Everyone was moving in sync, no mistakes were made, they were one unit, one force. As she ducked another swipe from the Grimm's trunk, a rose petal fell down and landed on her shoulder. A soft smile lit up Weiss's face as she saw another hint of Ruby's presence, protecting them above from the feathers raining down from the raven Grimm. They were fighting in a veritable storm of petals and flame at this point, courtesy of the two sisters, but not a person complained or were inconvenienced. Somehow, it just felt fitting, to see the Grimm burning as roses filled the air. It reminded Weiss of the girl she'd fallen for, her dorky, clumsy, adorable, beautiful leader.

Weiss once believed no one could ever take away her loneliness. Raised by a distant father, kept from her sister, surrounded only by tutors and maids, people who weren't allowed to play with her, weren't allowed to talk to her beyond doing their jobs, no wonder her heart turned to ice. But Ruby had melted it all, simply by caring. By making Weiss feel things she'd never felt before, by taking away her pain from being alone. Ruby was the first person to show her true, altruistic compassion. And no one would take that way from Weiss. The heiress didn't know how to handle this relationship, but she would find out. She would study, she would learn, and she would not give up no matter what. Weiss would never be alone again...her team, her friends, her Ruby…they had made sure of that.

* * *

As she rode the recoil of Crescent Rose once more, Ruby threw herself into a spin. Passing overtop of Yang, she sliced through every feather being shot down by the Nevermore's, before throwing another shot back at the one Grimm she was still trailing behind herself. As soon as Yang was out of range of the feathers, she stopped her spin, concentrating instead on simply dodging the deadly rain and letting it impale the other Grimm still pouring into the clearing. Her team and JNPR were fighting like the heroes of old. The powerful strikes from Yang and Nora, the speed and martial artistry of Ren and Blake, the precision of Weiss and Pyrrha, and the perfectly timed strategies Jaune and Ruby herself were directing, moving in perfect cooperation. Ruby could only smile happily as she thought over how the youngest person in Beacon was helping direct a mission to take down Goliath's, _and_ she ended up dating the most beautiful girl on the planet (at least in her mind).

Even as she rebounded off a tree on the other side of the clearing and went flying back into the air, her body following the movements she had already perfected automatically, her thoughts just kept drifting back to her princess, the prickly Ice Queen herself. Weiss Schnee was her girlfriend. Ruby Rose was dating Weiss Schnee. Just saying that to herself made her quiver in happiness. Whatever fate had in store for her, she could handle any of it with Weiss by her side. Being around the heiress and seeing those ice blue eyes twinkling as they looked into her own, it took her breath away. Ruby didn't know how to express how much she was in love with Weiss. She just would have to show Weiss. She knew about Weiss's fears, her feelings of loneliness and dismissal. Ruby vowed to herself, she would never let Weiss feel alone again.

A sudden twinge in her senses, something felt off. The battle was swiftly turning in the favor of teams RWBY and JNPR, but something was wrong. She could hear the loud stomping of the Goliath behind her, the shouts and cries from her team, the din of bullets and dust flying. But another cracking sound came from behind her, in the southern forest, the sound of trees falling again. Turning in midair, Ruby spun her body around as she flew to look towards the trees, just in time to see a massive black blur coming charging at her.

Time seemed to slow down for her as she saw the Goliath, a _fourth Goliath_ , coming out of the woods heading straight for her. For some reason, Ruby was frozen in place, unable to react in time. Clicking Crescent Rose, she tried to set off another shot to push her out of the way, but the clacking sound of an empty chamber sounded. She had nothing to push off of, nothing to use to move. It was almost anti-climactic, as she felt the tusk piercing straight through her chest, her aura crumpling like tissue as it slid straight through her. She didn't feel any pain as she hung suspended from the now red colored tusk, Crescent Rose slipping from her fingers and slowly falling to the ground. Idly, Ruby noted the arrival of a fifth elephant Grimm, but she could hear nothing but a dull roaring in her ears. A shake of the Goliath's head and Ruby found herself flying once again, her body tossed off into the air as though it were nothing to the Grimm. Her body nearly upside down as she fell, her head turned to the side in time to lock with blue eyes, terrified and stricken as a voice called out, its shriek piercing through the roaring in her ears.

"RUBY!"


	14. Chapter 14

Ruby's fall caused all hell broke loose. Flashes of time, snippets, as the rhythm they had created was broken and shattered. Weiss's heart-breaking cry broke Blake's concentration, making her take her eyes off the Deathstalker she was locked in combat with. She jerked forward, mouth gaping open, as the scorpion Grimm's stinger impaled her in the side, before retracting, the venom already working its way through her body. Glancing down, she could see the dark purple lines of the poison already seeping through her skin, creeping their way up to her heart. Falling to her knees, the faunus tried to cry out, but she couldn't make a sound. Rushing footsteps and a scream of her name were the last sounds she heard before consciousness left her.

Yang slid to a stop next to Blake, skidding on the ground as she ripped at Blake's shirt, trying to pull it away from the wound so she could get a good view. Every rational thought had left her mind, panic setting in. Ruby was falling, Blake was falling, she couldn't think, she didn't want to think, _she needed to protect them how could she protect them what would she do oh my god please be ok don't die please I can't lose you._ ' Yang kept trying to remember how you handled poisons and she remembered something she saw on the internet long ago about sucking out the poison. Ok, she'd do that, it has to work right? It had to be the right thing to do! Immediately she placed her mouth on the wound in Blake's side, sucking hard, the metallic taste of blood mixed with an acrid taste that burned, oh how it burned, but Yang did not care. Raising her mouth and spitting out the mouthful of blood she'd sucked out, she dived back in, trying desperately to stop that creeping purple from taking Blake, not noticing how her own mouth had gone purple, how the purple lines were creeping across her face. Tears blurring her vision, she was trying so hard but the purple wasn't stopping, she couldn't see straight anymore, why was everything going dark? Yang collapsed over Blake, the flames of her semblance dying with the golden glow of her hair.

Ren tried his best to draw the Deathstalker's attention from Blake and Yang, shooting every single bullet he had left in his clips at the massive scorpion, but he hadn't thought it through. He wasn't looking behind him. A gasp escaped his lips as he felt an immense pain erupting from his abdomen, looking down to see the claws of a Beowulf protruding from him. He was lifted off the ground before being flung across the field, losing his grip on Stormflower as he flew. A grunt escaped him as his flight was stopped abruptly by the arms of Nora, catching him and laying him gently before screaming in pure rage, whaling on everything nearby, near constant eruptions from Magnhild sounding through the air. Ren tried to stay awake, tried to keep up, but even with the noise he just couldn't.

Nora could barely see through the tears in her eyes, but no one was touching her Ren. No one was touching her friends. She didn't care, no one was dying, no one was leaving her, she wouldn't let it happen. She didn't care what happened, _no one was leaving her._ Seeing the Beowulf leaping at her, she leapt up herself to intercept it, but a swipe from an Ursa caught her off guard, catching her legs just below the knees. The sickening snap of bone sounded and she cried out, feeling both her legs go limp before she landed on the ground again, the jarring nearly making her pass out. But she wouldn't pass out, wouldn't let go. Magnhild was swapped back to its launcher and she just screamed out loud as she began firing wildly, driving everything around her back.

Weiss dashed forward, faster than she thought possible, every muscle in her body screaming as she ran as fast as she could. Her eyes locked on the falling form of Ruby, her leader, her friend, her love. She had to get there, had to do something, had to help her. Ruby couldn't die, she wasn't allowed to die, Ruby was hers and she would not let anyone take what was hers from her. Weiss just chanted _no no no no no no no no_ under her breath, desperate to catch her, but she wasn't quick enough. Ruby hit the ground, her body bouncing from the impact, her back arcing up into the air, before she fell once more and lay still next to the cliff face. Too still. Weiss launched herself at Ruby's side, grabbing her head and shaking her, trying to get her to open her eyes. Screaming her name at her, shaking her, desperately begging the younger girl to wake up, to please wake up, please let this be a nightmare.

Jaune had frozen, the sight of Ruby's lifeless body flying through the air taking away all his will to fight. He didn't even react when the Boarbatusk came spinning at him, having been broken free from the ice by the last Goliath to enter the clearing. As he saw his own death approaching, he could only stare at Ruby, the first person to show him kindness at Beacon, falling, the red trailing behind her not from her semblance, but from her lifeblood pouring out. Just before the boar struck him, a force impacted with him from the side, sending him to the ground just in time to hear the pained cry of Pyrrha. Swiftly rolling to his feet, his eyes widened at the sight of his partner slamming into the ground, her entire back covered in blood as the spines from the Boarbatusk had ripped through her, her desperate attempt to protect Jaune not leaving her time to bring her aura to bear to protect herself.

Jaune couldn't think, he didn't know what to do, his friends had all fallen. Weiss was hugging Ruby to her chest, begging her to be ok, the front of her white bolero being stained red with Ruby's blood. Nora still firing wildly, until a clicking sound came from Magnhild. Unable to fire more, she turned it back into a hammer, swinging it around desperately, unable to move but still trying to keep the Grimm away. The thundering sound of footsteps brought Jaune's attention to the Goliath Pyrrha had been fighting, head lowered and headed straight for the spot her body lay still. His eyes widened, his mind seeing what happened to Ruby happening to Pyrrha, and he moved. He didn't even remember moving, he didn't know what he thought he was doing, but he planted his feet over Pyrrha's body and raised his shield. He had no idea how that would help, but he didn't care, not again. He would not watch that again!

A brilliant white light shone from Jaune just as the Goliath reached him, blinding everything around them for a brief second before the Goliath _flew_ away, launched backwards from Jaune, a distinct look of surprise on its masked face as it slammed to the ground, skidding backwards until it hit the Deathstalker, leading to a tangle of limbs and angry Grimm assaulting each other. Jaune gasped, unsure what had happened, before shaking his head to clear it. Reaching into his bag, he grabbed the crystal Azure had handed him and stared at it for a second, before making up his mind. He still didn't know a lot about Aura, or how to control it, but channeling it into a Dust crystal was something he could do, even if he couldn't use Dust correctly. Concentrating, he threw as much of his Aura into it as he could, causing it to glow brighter, before lobbing it up into the air.

It exploded with a deafening bang and a flare of light that made the previous one coming from him look like a firecracker. The sound wave made him cover his ears in pain as he closed his eyes tightly, praying it would work. As the echoes of the sound began to recede, he opened his eyes to see Nora scrubbing at her own, trying to blink out the spots, the Grimm around them running in seemingly random directions. Some began crashing into each other and brawling, while others were running headfirst into trees or the cliff wall. Even the Goliath's seemed affected, butting heads and one of them impaling a second one with its tusks, making it bellow out as it turned on its fellow. Spinning, Jaune tried to find his other friends on the field, needing to see where they were. A soft blue glow made him look to see Weiss, still holding Ruby, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed, her entire form and Ruby's glowing with a pale blue.

Weiss wouldn't let her go. She couldn't go. She was not allowed to leave, not now, not ever, she wasn't allowed! She reached deep within and drew every last bit of Aura she had, willing it as hard as she could to bring Ruby back. She didn't care if she ran out, she'd use every bit of energy she had to bring Ruby back. The world didn't need Weiss Schnee, the world needed more people like Ruby Rose. Someone who saw the good in everyone, who tried so hard to help and protect other people, someone who made everyone around her happy just by smiling that damned adorable smile of hers. It didn't matter if she had to give every ounce of her life to Ruby, she'd do it, because Ruby deserved to live. Spots danced at the corners of her eyes as her breathing became that much more difficult. She felt a tightness in her chest, her heart beating erratically, weaker the longer she held on, but she didn't care. The flow of blood had slowed, the hole in Ruby slowly closing, but her aura was flickering, the light fading as she faded.

Weiss shook her head, growling out loud, refusing to let go, refusing to let Ruby go. She just kept chanting _'no'_ in her head, kept pushing and pushing her aura into Ruby. Her head was hurting so badly, a pressure at her temple making her close her eyes in pain, gritting her teeth. A strange sensation of something dripping from her nose made her open her eyes, seeing the steady drip of blood coming from her nose, falling over her lips down her chin, before falling into the pool of blood on the younger girl's chest. She felt her throat seizing up, could feel her pulse getting weaker and weaker. Didn't matter, had to focus, had to…A feeling of impact hit the back of her neck, making her eyes flutter closed as she felt the darkness of unconsciousness reaching to her, as surprisingly gentle hands caught her shoulders. She felt herself being laid down before she was gone, mind in sweet oblivion.

"Jaune! What the fuck happened here?!" Azure grabbed the blonde boy by his shoulders, shaking him desperately to get his attention, the knight still staring off into the distance. Azure's fears of catatonia were unfounded as Jaune focused on him, before gasping in relief.

"Oh god you're here please they need your help please do something now they are dying and-"Azure shook Jaune again, breaking off his rambling pleas, before speaking in a calm and reassuring tone.

"Jaune, please. Stay calm. I saw what happened to Ruby and left immediately, I didn't see the rest of this. I called for the medics but I need to know what happened after I left the house. Quickly!" Jaune took a gulp of air, before recounting everything he'd seen, Azure nodding along, never letting his hands leave Jaune's shoulders. Glancing around at the still fighting Grimm, Azure's face fell into a grimace as he cursed both Weiss and Yang for being fools.

"Ok, listen Jaune, I need you to help me right now. Grab everyone and bring them over to the cliff wall next to Ruby and Weiss, now. Right now. Don't worry about being gentle, just drag them over, right now. You get Pyrrha, Yang, and Blake. I'll get Nora and Ren." Not waiting to see if Jaune would obey, Azure dashed over to Nora, ducking a quick swing from Magnhild before grabbing Nora by her hands, making her look at him. A quick glance back showed Jaune holding Pyrrha in his arms, running with her to the cliff wall as fast as he could. Turning back, Azure spoke softly. "Nora, listen to me. I need to take Ren with me. I'll bring you right to him in just a second, just let me take Ren, I promise I will bring you right to him, ok?" At Nora's tearstained nod, he grabbed up Ren and dashed over to the cliff wall, arriving just as Jaune was setting off to get Yang and Blake. Seconds later, as promised, he returned to get Nora, trying to be as careful of her legs as possible, but unable to avoid making her wince in pain as her legs clacked together. Setting her down carefully, he reached over to help get Yang off Jaune's shoulder, having already set Blake down.

"Ok, Jaune, pick Nora up and stand back." Not hesitating, the blonde boy grabbed up Nora, her hand tightening over his arm as she hissed in a breath from another shooting pain through her legs. Azure reaching into a pouch on his belt and withdrew a vial of light golden dust, before moving his hands in a quick series of gestures. A bright golden glow surrounded those laying on the ground, an image of clocks appearing over each of their chests, before it faded, as each person on the ground froze in position, seemingly unbreathing. Jaune just gaped, before shaking his head.

"What did you _do_?"

"Advanced dust technique. You should learn it in your fourth year…well, maybe you won't, but Weiss certainly will, maybe Ren. It's a form of suspended animation, it's very useful for when your teammates are injured like this and help is not near. Now listen, this will only hold for a couple of hours, but we have a bigger problem." Azure turned and gestured at the still rampaging and fighting Grimm. "I can't fight all those off. The medical team is at least two hours out, and we can't get all of them out. Even if we got them up the cliff, everything but the Goliath's and Boarbatusk's could follow us up. We can't escape with them. So set Nora down while we go grab everyone's weapons, and quickly."

It took only moments for Jaune and Azure to fetch everyone's weapons, dumping them in a pile next to Nora. Grabbing Crescent Rose, Azure made it transform into its full scythe form, before slamming the point down in the ground next to Nora. Dropping Gambol Shroud in pistol form, Milo in rifle form, Stormflower, and Nora's Magnhild next to her, he then grabbed and dumped all of the ammo out in front of her. Kneeling down next to her, he gestured to the weapons.

"I wish we had time to splint your legs Nora, I really do. But we don't have that sort of time. That dust is going to fade very shortly, and they won't forget what they were doing before. So here's the plan…I will lead the Goliath's away. As I said, I am an expert at pissing them off. You've taken out most of the bigger Grimm, so I'll get the Nevermore's attention as well. Looks like the Goliath already crushed the Deathstalker, so that's not a worry. But a lot of the smaller Grimm won't follow. That's where you two come in. You have to hold them off till help arrives. Nora, use whatever weapon you need to to provide fire support. Jaune, you have to hold off anything that gets through her fire. You have to."

"But…I can't-"

Azure gripped Jaune's arm in his hand, squeezing tightly as he looked dead into the blonde's eyes. "Yes Jaune, you can. You have to. Your friends, your family, your love is laying there, and they need you. They _need_ you Jaune. So step up, and do what needs to be done."

Nora's voice rang out, weak but steady, calling Jaune's attention to her. When he looked down at her, she looked him dead in the eye. "Let's do this." Those three words flashed Jaune back to the first day he had met Nora, and the words she had said on the broken bridge.

He chuckled, before replying. "But I can't make that jump." Nora just grinned at him, that manic gleam appearing in her eyes once more even as she winced in pain. Azure nodded at them, placing his hands on their shoulders and squeezing for a second, before a roar interrupted him. Looking up to see the Grimm shaking their heads, seemingly calming down, he gave a quick salute to the two before dashing into the middle of the field, blade already drawn. Throwing it up into the trunk of a tree, wire trailing behind it, he activated the gears in his weapon, dragging himself up into the tree. A quick hand gesture and a large purple glyph appeared in the air, the sound of thunder rumbling from it before bolts of lightning flew off, striking the Goliath's and making them spin around to look for him. Azure grinned once at the massive Grimm, before leaping off into another tree.

"Come and get me!" With a trumpeting cry, the massive creatures began to charge after him as he left them back into the southern forest from whence they had come. The screeches of the Nevermore's faded into the background, as a large portion of the Grimm around had followed the Goliath's away, but plenty still could smell the blood. As one, the remaining Ursa and Beowulf's turned to look at the gathering by the cliff face, their eyes gleaming red as fangs were bared. Jaune shared one more look with Nora, before drawing his sword, expanding his shield, and narrowing his eyes. No one would touch his family, not again. As the Grimm charged and Nora opened fire, he yelled his own battle cry and waded into the fight.

* * *

Minutes bled into an hour, and then beyond. Jaune was soaked in sweat, unsure how much time had passed anymore. Gambol Shroud, Stormflower, and Crescent Rose were already tossed aside, completely out of ammunition. Nora had dragged Yang's gauntlets off her and was doing her best to use them, but the powerful recoil from the shells was tweaking her legs with every shot she made. Gritting her teeth, she kept firing, not even caring if she hit anymore, just caring that she could give Jaune a chance to get a swing in. Blood dripped down her right arm from where a claw had slipped through and slit open her shoulder. It wasn't enough to stop her from using the arm, but it was making her hands very slippery, making it difficult to fire Ember Celica.

Jaune's left arm was hanging nearly useless at his side. A particularly powerful blow from an Ursa had knocked his shoulder out of its socket, leaving him swinging desperately with his right arm, trying to push back the remaining Grimm. He was panting, breath coming in short bursts, as he ducked another swipe and came straight up, impaling the wolf straight through its jaw. Growling, he yanked Crocea Mors clear in a spray of blood, bringing it back up as he tried to deflect another swinging claw. But his grip was too weak, and the blade was torn from his hand, flying behind him. The sounds of clacking sounding from Nora, as she screamed in pure rage at the empty chambers of Ember Celica. She deployed Magnhild once more, before yelling out at Jaune to catch. Throwing it up and over his head, Jaune reacted instinctively, the giant hammer landing in his hands. The weight of it almost made him drop it, but he dug deep and found a reservoir of strength, just enough to swing it one handed, letting the momentum carry the strike.

The impact with the Ursa landed square in its chest, enough to stagger it back, making it trip over another Ursa, causing them to fall in a tangle of limbs. The hammer fell from Jaune's hands, his energy spent as he fell to his knees. He couldn't hold it anymore, it weighed too much. He looked up through his bangs, seeing the approaching Grimm, and staggered to his feet once more. Planting himself in front of his friends, he spread his arms wide, hoping to buy them another couple of seconds if the Grimm would reach him first. Closing his eyes, he cringed as he waited for the pain to begin.

He could hear some sort of dull roar through the ringing in his ears, wondering if this was normal as he waited. A few seconds passed before he realized the dull roar was not one of the Grimm, but coming from above. Opening his eyes, he looked up as a blur of green and orange fell to the ground on either side of him. A hail of bullets were spraying out from a Gatling gun, the wielder none other than Coco from team CFVY, above in a Bullhead. Fox and Yatsuhashi had been the ones to land next to him, and they immediately went on the offensive, dashing into the Grimm and ripping through them. More thumps resounded next to him, as Velvet, Goodwitch, Port, and Oobleck landed, adding their firepower to the mix.

Jaune couldn't help it. He fell to his knees and began crying in relief, tears pouring from his eyes as he simply sobbed, unable to wrap his mind around what had happened. Nora simply fell over backwards, laying spread eagle on the ground and closing her eyes, trying to just get her breathing under control. A gentle hand fell on Jaune's shoulder, and he looked up to see the concerned eyes of Glynda looking at him, kneeling next to him. For the first time she didn't look angry, just worried.

"Mr. Arc, can you tell me what happened?" Haltingly, interrupted by his own uncontrolled sobs, Jaune tried to recount everything he remembered. Even as Coco landed next to him, as each of the teachers and members of team CFVY began fanning out, slaughtering the remaining Grimm, he kept talking. Watching as Glynda's expression kept changing between horrified and enraged. She seemed particularly incensed at the report of the extra two Goliath's appearing, making sure to get Jaune to repeat that and confirm it with Nora, still lying on her back. Finally, after she had gotten the whole story, she nodded before standing up, getting the attention of everyone near.

"Miss Adel, take your team and clear out the entire perimeter. The medical Bullhead is still on its way, we want a safe landing zone. Miss Scarletina, stay behind with me, we can try to keep the students suspended until they arrive. Port, Oobleck, take the Bullhead and see if you can find Silva and evacuate him." Velvet's soft voice sounded out as her ears twitched.

"He's about five kilometers straight south. I can hear the Grimm and the lightning strikes from Dust." Glynda nodded, before gesturing at the two other teachers who hurried to follow her orders. Glynda looked down and kneeled before Jaune again, putting her hand on his shoulder once more. Speaking in a voice so quiet it was nearly a whisper, she said "You did well Mr. Arc. Rest. Your friends are safe now."

* * *

Yang woke to a world of pain. Every muscle in her body screamed in agony as she struggled, trying to get them cooperate with her. She needed to make sure they were ok, they had to be-A voice interrupted her struggling, one she recognized.

"Hey, hey, Yang. Calm down. You're ok." Opening her eyes slowly, the light blinding her, she blinked rapidly to clear it as she saw Jaune looking down at her. She tried to say something, but her voice cracked, throat so dry she wondered if someone had poured sand down her throat. Jaune quickly reached to his side, grabbing a water bottle, before pressing down on something she couldn't see. She felt herself being elevated into a seated position, before he brought the water bottle up to her lips. Stubbornly, she reached up and grabbed the bottle herself, but stopped when she saw how badly her hand was shaking. Suffering the indignity, she let Jaune help her drink, before licking her lips and trying to speak again.

"Where's Blake and Ruby?"

Jaune smiled softly at Yang, her concern so evident in her voice. "Right here Yang." Jaune pointed behind himself, making Yang slightly tilt her head, able to see the black hair and ears of her partner to her left, laying on what looked like a hospital bed. Jaune then pointed to her other side, and she turned again, neck protesting the movement as she saw her baby sister laying on her other side, her entire midsection covered in one giant bandage wrapped tightly around her torso. Glancing farther on, she could see a shock of white hair on the other side of Ruby, and assumed it was Weiss. She took a moment to try to figure out her surroundings.

She seemed to be in a large hospital room. Jaune was sitting on a chair next to her bed, one it seemed he had dragged over as soon as she started struggling. Across from her, she could see the still forms of Pyrrha and Ren, with a wheelchair bound Nora sitting next to Ren, her head on his stomach as she slept quietly. Yang shook her head as she finally noticed how many different machines were in the room, IV's everywhere, bandages wrapped around torso's and limbs. She looked over at Jaune, noting the still fading bruises all over and the large bandage around his left shoulder.

"What happened?"

Jaune sighed, before recounting the events to Yang. The more he spoke, the angrier Yang got at herself, for failing to help. Her fists clenched, her teeth gritted, eyes closed tight as she kept picturing her friends falling and her failing to protect them. Her little sister, nearly dead. Blake, dying beneath her. As Yang went over the story in her head, she got confused. "Wait, how did Weiss end up in here? I thought you said she didn't get hurt."

Jaune shrugged. "They told me later she had given Ruby so much of her aura she almost killed herself from it. She would have if Azure hadn't knocked her out before she could." He paused then, going quiet, before he noticed the slight scent of burning. Looking up, he saw Yang's hair beginning to glow, and he panicked. "Whoa, Yang, calm down! You'll set the place on fire at this rate!"

"I…I…I failed them. I can't stand this. They got hurt and I didn't do anything to help! _I failed them!_ " Seconds after that outburst, the door to the room opened, as Oobleck walked in, apparently having been nearby enough to hear Yang's shout. Striding over to Yang's bed, he spoke softly, unlike his normal tone.

"Miss Xiao Long, you are quite incorrect. In fact, you saved Miss Belladonna." Blinking up at Oobleck in confusion, he took her silence as permission to continue. "In most cases, sucking out venom is a poor idea. It never seems to draw enough venom out to help a person, not to mention with Deathstalker venom, you simply poisoned yourself. However, something very interesting happened with you. It appears your Semblance quite literally burned the venom out of you, and somehow it leapt to your partner as well. At least, enough to keep it from reaching her heart until the proper antidote could be retrieved. In fact, when you are feeling better, I would like to spend some time with you to study this phenomenon. But that's for another time. Regardless, you saved your partner, and you should be proud. But for now, rest. That is what is best for all of you." Oobleck nodded smartly, and not giving anyone time to respond, he strode back out of the room, closing the door. Jaune and Yang shared a look of slight confusion, baffled at Oobleck's behavior and presence, before sighing. Jaune stood to go back and sit by Pyrrha, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Jaune…could you…could you move Blake and Ruby closer? I just need to touch them."

Jaune stared at Yang, unused to seeing the normally invincible Yang so vulnerable, before nodding. Lowering the railing on the beds, he went to the other side of Blake's bed and pushed it, careful to drag the IV drip with him, until it was right up against Yang's. On her other side, he did the same with Ruby's bed, and as an afterthought, pulled Weiss's next to Ruby's. Yang reached out with her arms and took Blake and Ruby's hands in her own, squeezing softly before relaxing backwards, sighing in relief. Pressing the button to lower her bed, she looked at Jaune and whispered 'thank you' to him. He waved it off, before returning to the side of the room his team was on. Looking down on them, he came to a decision, and dragged Pyrrha's bed flush up against Ren's, before he sat his chair down on the other side of Pyrrha. Nora lifted her head for a moment to look at Jaune, before smiling and laying her head back down again, snuggling into Ren's stomach, careful to mind the bandages. Jaune took hold of Pyrrha's hand and leaned his head back in the chair. Taking a deep breath, the exhaustion finally took him out of the world of the awake and into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Ozpin was quietly sipping from his mug as he thought over the events of the day, his mind elsewhere. Ironwood stood at the window to his office, his own thoughts in a similar vein, but both men were interrupted by a commotion from outside the room. The sounds of voices arguing, one admonishing the other to go rest while the other kept protesting he was fine came closer to the office, before Ozpin's door burst open, slammed into the wall by a very unhappy Azure, with Glynda following close behind. Storming into the room, he practically threw his scroll onto Ozpin's desk, before slamming his hands down on the desk and looking directly at the Headmaster.

"Who the fuck wrote this report?"

Blinking at the uncharacteristic vehemence, Ozpin was not given a chance to respond before Ironwood spoke, his voice steely. "My scouts were the ones who wrote the report, and I passed it along to Ozpin." Azure whirled on Ironwood, stomping over to stand face to face with him and pointing directly at him.

"Well then, your scouts are either utterly incompetent or _trying to get someone killed!_ " shouting the last part of that sentence, Azure stormed back to the desk and grabbed his scroll, before holding it up. "Every single location on this fucking report was _off!_ _Every…single…one!_ They missed two entire Goliath's, every nest they scouted was off by at least three kilometers apiece! Those children nearly died because of your _FUCKING SCOUTS!_ They hadn't made a single mistake in their mission, they were performing perfectly, even when things weren't going according to plan, but no one can expect two more Goliath's to appear out of nowhere! _How the hell do you miss two more Goliath's!_?" Ending his rant for a moment, he shoved the scroll into Ironwood's hands, the map showing the original report along with Azure's own notes scrawled in. Ironwood scanned the report before his eyes went wide, pulling out his own scroll and comparing.

"This isn't the report I sent Ozpin. The one I sent him is the same one you've made."

Azure blinked, taken aback, before yanking Ironwood's scroll out of his hand and scanning over it. Staring at the screen, he took a deep breath, the rage that had been swirling around him slowly cooling. Closing his eyes, he tried to reign in his anger as Ozpin took the scrolls from Ironwood and Azure's hands, reviewing them himself.

"Someone tampered with the report before it reached me, it seems." Ozpin's quiet declaration broke the relative peace of the room, as those in the room exchanged glances.

Azure covered his face with his hand before drawing it down, squeezing his chin slightly before rubbing his temples. "We'll need to evacuate the village. As soon as I broke off my attack, the Goliath's turned around and went back north again. Something is drawing them to the village, and we don't have time for another assault." Ironwood nodded.

"I will send my forces out to begin the evacuation. I will also begin an investigation into who tampered with this report…from now on, any reports I have I will personally hand deliver to you. I _will_ find who did this, rest assured." Saluting sharply, he left the room. Ozpin quietly handed Azure's scroll back to him, before speaking quietly.

"We will figure it out, Azure. I swear to you, this tampering will not go unpunished."

Azure nodded, knowing full well that Ozpin would move heaven and hell to find out what happened. Sighing, he finally listened to Glynda and left the room, headed back to his office to get some much needed sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Azure strode down the hallway leading to the medical ward of Beacon, a couple plastic grocery bags in one hand and a trio of pizza boxes in the other. Rounding the corner, he stopped, seeing Oobleck in a lab coat studying a clipboard. At the sound of Azure's arrival, Oobleck looked up, before a smile broke out on his face.

"Ah, Azure, I see you've come to visit the students. We did not get a chance to speak much after the mission. How are you doing?"

Azure smiled. Oobleck was one of his favorite professor's at the school. "Much better now Bart, but I doubt the children are doing as good. What are you doing here?"

Oobleck's smile fell slightly, as he gestured at the clipboard he had been studying. "I've been studying up on how Miss Xiao Long's semblance reacted to the venom, and hoping to be present for when Miss Rose awakens, I believe some of my experiments can assist her through the time ahead of her." Oobleck's keen eye noted how Azure's eyes shifted away from him as he muttered a quiet 'yeah' in reply. Pushing his glasses up on his nose, he frowned. "You didn't tell them, did you?" Azure sighed heavily.

"No."

"Azure, that was terribly irresponsible! You, more than anyone else, should be well aware of what awaits Miss Rose." An obvious glance towards Azure's abdomen, before looking back up at him made his point clear.

"I know, I know! I just didn't want to scare them. Goliath's are terrifying enough, if they knew what could happen…I just worried they would be too afraid and make a mistake."

Oobleck sighed, lowering his head. "I reviewed the footage myself earlier. They really did perform exceptionally. I've not seen full-fledged hunters fight with such precision and cooperation. If only that fourth Grimm had not appeared…" trailing off, Oobleck leaned in close, dropping his voice to a low whisper. "Is it true the report was tampered with?" Azure nodded solemnly, watching as Oobleck's normal peaceful features contorted with rage, the words spilling from his mouth with quiet venom. "Despicable! Cowardly! Absolutely horrendous! The person responsible for this had best hope that I do not find them, for I will show no mercy. If hunters cannot even rely on a scouting report, we simply are doomed." Azure nodded along in agreement.

"I believe we are all in accord about that. Whoever it is, they will pay. I've spent all morning looking into it with the headmaster. Unfortunately, we have found very little. Whoever it was is an expert in computers. Doesn't help we're not certain if they tampered with it internally, in Beacon's system, or from the CCT. However, if I had to guess, I have a sneaking suspicion it was the same woman Miss Rose tangled with at the CCT. She was quite skilled I'm told, both in combat and with the computer."

Oobleck gave a contemplative sound as he held his head in his chin, nodding to himself. "Yes, yes, a distinct possibility! But, we should not jump to conclusions so early in the investigation. I have faith we will find this traitor however, and they will be judged." He shook his head as if to clear it, before smiling again. "But enough of this. I see you came to visit the students. All but Miss Rose have awoken, and seem to be recovering. Slowly, but steadily. Although I feel Mr. Arc may soon collapse from sheer embarrassment, so effusive his friends have been in their thanks. Miss Valkyrie just laughs it off."

Azure chuckled, having no problem picturing the easily flustered Jaune collapsing red-faced. He gestured to the pizza box at his side. "He had best get used to it…the story is spreading through the school like wildfire. Anyways, would you like a slice before I take it in? Teenagers will probably clear these three in moments."

Oobleck hemmed and hawed for a moment, before laughing heartily. "Oh, you know I cannot resist pizza. Wondrous food!" Flipping open the lid of the top box, he carefully grabbed a slice of the extra cheesy pizza, taking a swift bite. "Ah, delicious. Sartenio's?"

"Why of course! I would not bring anything but the best into this fine establishment!" His pompous tone sent the green-haired professor into another laugh, before he waved his friend on towards the door. Azure smiled before knocking carefully, waiting patiently at the door. Jaune opened it, jolting a bit to see Azure standing there, before gesturing for him to come in. As he took a step in and gained his bearings, he lifted one eyebrow at the sight before him.

Nora was happily scooting the wheelchair back and forth across the small aisle between the beds, making a 'vroom vroom' sound as she raced back and forth. Blake was curled into Yang's side, her legs thrown over the blonde's lap, quietly reading a book as Yang slowly ran her fingers through her hair, occasionally looking worriedly at her sister lying beside her. Pyrrha and Ren were engaged in conversation, Pyrrha gesturing as she explained something to Ren, only to trail off once she realized who had entered the room. Ruby lay still, her chest barely rising and falling, one hand held in Yang's free hand, the other one being held by the heiress. Weiss was laying on her side, staring unblinkingly at the sleeping face of Ruby, holding her hand tightly in both of hers. Ruby's hand was carefully closed under Weiss's chin, as every so often Weiss would kiss her knuckles carefully. When she saw the arrival of Azure, she quickly blushed, but made no move to let go of Ruby's hand. The room slowly quieted down as everyone noticed the new arrival, as he smiled softly at the room. Thanking Jaune for setting a chair down for him, he gestured for Jaune to sit as well, before setting the pizza boxes and bags on the counter. Straddling the chair and placing his hands over the back of it, he leaned forward.

"Well, let's start with the pleasantries…how are you all feeling?" A quick chorus of 'ok' and 'fine' came back to him, with him merely lifting a brow again. "Well, ok then. I figured I'd bring some decent food, since I'm well aware hospital food sucks. Picked up some pizza…wasn't sure what you kids liked, so I just got an extra cheese, a triple meat, and a deluxe. Stopped by the cafeteria for some drinks, and the chefs insisted I bring pancakes, although I've no idea why…" trailing off and blinking in surprise as he noticed how quickly Nora had zipped up to him, eyes wide and nearly drooling in anticipation. Shaking his head, he got up and pulled a Styrofoam container from one of the bags, along with a bottle of syrup, and handed it to the hammer-wielder, along with a plastic fork. "Keep it clean Miss Valkyrie, it's my ass if you mess this place up." An enthusiastic nod was his answer, as she zipped back to Ren's side and began inhaling her pancakes. He just sighed and shook his head. "So, what's everyone want?"

With Jaune's assistance in passing out the plastic plates and pizza, he had everyone situated in a few moments, even Weiss taking one slice of cheese, her hunger overriding her normal dislike of anything greasy. Sitting back in the chair, Azure waited a few moments, until the first quick bites everyone had taken to quell their hunger had stopped and they had begun eating slower. "Alright, so let me explain what happened, since I doubt anyone has told you guys." The quality of silence as everyone, even Nora, went quiet and looked at him told him how seriously they were taking this. Taking a deep breath, he spoke out calmly. "The original scouting report that the headmaster received was tampered with, sometime between the time General Ironwood had sent it to him and the time he opened it." Raising his hand to forestall any questions, he continued. "We still are unsure who did this or why, but rest assured, we are throwing everything we have into the investigation, and you will not be kept in the dark. When we know something, you will know. It is unacceptable, and if you had seen the original report, none of this would have happened."

"Can I see the original?" A bit surprised at Jaune's quiet request, Azure complied, tapping a few buttons on his scroll and handing it to the blonde boy. Jaune studied it intently for a few moments, before tilting his head in surprise. "This is radically different, but I find it strange how all the nests were off by exactly three kilometers. Seems weird, that they would always pick three for all of them."

"Good eye Jaune, I hadn't noticed that. I'll remember that when I sit down with Ozpin next, that may be a clue." Jaune beamed slightly at the praise, before handing the scroll back to Azure. "Next thing, your payment." Drawing a series of envelopes from his pocket, he glanced around to see confused looks were given, before Yang spoke slowly, confusion evident in her voice.

"Err, what payment?"

Azure arched an eyebrow at her. "For services rendered. You went on a full blown mission. You get paid."

Blake's quiet voice rent the air, her tone self-incriminating. "But we failed."

Azure shook his head instantly, speaking insistently. "No. You did everything in your power per the mission parameters. You adapted when things went wrong, you performed at the highest levels we expect of any huntsman or huntress. There was no way you could have predicted the last two Goliath's, and nothing you could have done. If we had known there were five from the start, we never would have tried to fight them off, we would have immediately evacuated. Truthfully, we would not have had time to evacuate them originally, not with how close they were. Your intervention gave us the time we needed."

"So the village…?" came Pyrrha's subdued voice.

"Destroyed. But again, through no fault of your own, and thanks to you, its citizens are safe. The mayor of the village, after being appraised of the situation, requested I extend you his sincere thanks and wishes for a speedy recovery."

"What happened to the Goliath's?" Weiss's voice was cracking as she spoke, evident she had not said much if anything at all recently, but her tone made it clear she considered the answer vitally important.

"As more hunting teams returned, we rounded up the biggest group we could find and sent them to intercept the Grimm. Unfortunately, they did not arrive in time to stop the destruction of the village, but they did bring them down." Azure ignored the vehement ' _good! ´_ comments coming from multiple sources in the room, and continued. "I received the mission report about an hour ago. For some reason the Grimm were continuing to head north, towards Vale, but we have yet to piece together the why. This is something else we will be certain to keep you up to date on." Azure did not miss the look of grim satisfaction on Weiss's face, her normal glare twisted into a snarl. He was fairly certain he knew exactly what she was thinking of. He took a deep breath once more.

"There is one more thing you need to know. And it concerns Miss Rose." All sounds in the room stopped, both teams seeming to hang on his every word, worry written across everyone's face. "First off, she _will_ recover. Do not even take a moment to think otherwise. While Miss Schnee's actions were reckless and irresponsible," he sent a stern glare in her direction, satisfied to see her looking away sheepishly, "she did, in fact, save Miss Rose's life. In the future however, let me make it clear, the best course of action in such a situation is to have multiple people work together to combine their aura's for healing…this lessens the strain on both the healers and the person being healed, and leaves enough aura for all to escape. I'm well aware everyone was being injured at the same time, but that is something you will need to train for. Ruby's injury was nearly unavoidable, but the rest of you could have avoided your injuries, if you had kept clear heads." Azure modulated his tone to a much gentler one, aware of how harsh he was coming across.

"I know it hurt to know Ruby had been hurt, and hurt badly. I know how that feels…I've been around when my friends and teammates were badly wounded. But it does neither them nor you any good to lose control and get hurt yourself. You won't be able to help them if you get hurt too, remember that." Weiss raised her hand carefully, getting his attention. At his silent nod, she finally sat up and looked Azure dead in the eye.

"That dust technique you used, the one where you froze us all?" Azure nodded silently. "…Can you teach me?"

"You'll learn it in your fourth year, Weiss."

Weiss glanced at Ruby, before looking over the room as though to prove her point. "I don't think we can wait till year four."

Azure sat back in the chair, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Weiss, before sighing. "Only you?" Ren and Blake raised their hands as well, confident in their abilities to manipulate Dust. "Very well, under two conditions. The first is we will not begin training until you have a full bill of health from Bartholomew." At the confusion evident in their eyes, he elaborated. "Doctor Oobleck. Second condition, you will _never_ be so reckless again. Agreed?" His eyes bored into Weiss's, before sweeping over the rest of the room, making it clear that was directed at everyone. At the nods he was given in return, he rubbed his chin contemplatively. "Fine, I'll teach you. It's difficult though, it takes a while to get the hang of."

"I don't care. I'll learn it." Weiss's assurance was soft but heartfelt, echoed by Ren and Blake, their eyes flitting over to their other teammates.

"Alright…but anyways, I wanted to explain something to you guys. I made a mistake, a very serious one. I did not tell you everything that happens when you are struck by a Goliath tusk, and that is entirely my fault." Nervous glances were sent towards the still body of Ruby, with a noticeable tightening on the grips on her hands from Yang and Weiss. "It doesn't exactly tear through aura so much as it rips it from you." Even with his previous assurances Ruby would be ok, Azure could see the terror in the eyes of the other teenagers, and moved quickly to quash it. "Please, stay calm, I swear to you will she will one hundred percent ok, just…not at first." Taking a deep breath, he continued.

"A Goliath's tusk is designed to try to draw your aura from you. In other words, it wants to rip your entire soul out. We hunters have incredibly powerful souls, as you all know, and our souls do not surrender so easily. A Goliath will _never_ succeed in ripping your soul out…but it _will_ harm it. Your soul will repair itself, but it takes some time, and…truth be told, it may be the most painful thing you ever experience." A quiet sob came from Weiss's corner, but to preserve her dignity Azure pretended not to notice. "The other thing to note is the damage to the soul, it…it changes you. Not permanently, not even for a very long time…a week, tops. But it makes you more prone to anger, more easily irritated…it sends your emotions into overdrive. One minute, you may be the cheeriest ray of sunshine you ever met, another you're sullen and cranky. You may find yourself incredibly aroused one second, but the next you don't want anyone to touch you. You'll find yourself saying things you never wanted to say, cruel things to those you love, and you'll enjoy it for a brief moment before it hits you what you said, and you sink deep into depression…" Azure sighed softly, before Blake interrupted him.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Nodding at Blake, Azure stood, before lifting his shirt up partly, displaying the large round pinkish scar right through the center of his abdomen. Turned around, the hospital bound children could see a matching scar on his back. Dropping his shirt back down, he plopped back in the chair.

"I was cocky, and stupid, and nearly paid the price. Saved by my team, when I woke days later, they paid the price. I said some very terrible things to them, things I still regret to this day. I mistreated them horribly, and at one point, I came this close to physically assaulting them. I'm telling you this so you don't let it get to you. No matter what she does, no matter how she acts, do not let it get to you. I promise you, she won't mean it, no matter how much you think it is true, she _will not mean it!_ " Azure made sure to lock eyes with each person in the room, silently trying to impress his point upon them. "Just do your best guys, to handle it. It won't last long, and when it ends she'll need you more than ever, because she will feel awful for how she acted. Just bear with her, and it'll be ok." Silent nods of agreement met his statement, before he smiled.

"Well, with that out of the way, more pizza?"

* * *

Three days. It took three days for Ruby to wake up. Aura and the tireless efforts of Doctor Oobleck and the medical staff of Beacon's medical ward patched up the others in record time, their wounds fully healed, Aura's recharged, and energy replenished. But Ruby lay still, sleeping, the only proof she was alive the beeping of the heart monitor and her slow, steady, gentle breaths. The wound in her chest had closed up entirely, leaving a massive scar, but otherwise she was unharmed. Just not awake.

Weiss spent the three days nearly in a panic, unable to even contemplate functioning without Ruby. Although it grated on the nerves of her friends, something about the normally frozen heiress fretting over Ruby so much simply led to soft smiles and words of encouragement, with Yang even holding off on her teasing (at least until Ruby was better). However, she spent quite a bit of time whispering conspiratorially with Blake, commenting on how adorable it was, Weiss's worries.

It wasn't that Yang wasn't worried too; she was. But she trusted her sister would pull through, and she believed Azure. More than that, she knew team RWBY didn't need another member freeing out…Weiss had that handled. She needed to be strong. She had grown up with Ruby, and like all sisters, they had fought. And sometimes, it was awful, things said that were hurtful and cruel, insults thrown like knives (once, they did throw knives). She had an inkling of what they were in for, and that scared her more than the others realized. Something about how innocent and cute Ruby was led to her being that much more brutal when she wanted to be. And knowing what she knew about Weiss, and the way she was still so emotionally unstable…she didn't think this week would end well.

A blip on the heart monitor broke her attention, and team RWBY immediately crowded around Ruby's bed, looking down to see the red-head finally moving. Her face scrunched up as though in discomfort, a few mumbles sounding out as she thrashed slightly, her feet kicking at the blankets. For a moment Yang considered holding her down, before she calmed, taking a deep breath, and slowly creaked open her eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

Yang leaned over the railing, smiling cautiously at Ruby. "Hey baby sis, how ya feeling?"

Ruby groaned and rubbed her head for a second. "Well…I feel like someone used my chest as a trampoline, otherwise, I'm good to go!" the bright smile on her face made Yang, Weiss, and Blake breath sighs of relief, but the sound of the door opening behind them made them turn about. Oobleck and Azure walked in, Oobleck holding a small black case in his hand as they made their ways over to the bed. Azure hung back, arms crossed, watching the scene carefully as Oobleck approached the bed, pushing his glasses up on his nose as he leaned over.

"Ah, Miss Rose, I see you're awake. Please, tell me, are you experiencing any pain?"

Ruby shook her head."No, not really. My chest feels kinda tight, but-"she broke off in midsentence, her eyes going incredibly wide as she stuttered on her words, jolting off the bed. A choking sound, like half a scream, came from her throat as she began thrashing wildly, her fists and feet slamming into everything around her. Yang dove on top of her to try to pin her, but with insane strength she flung Yang off, even as the others rushed to grab at her flailing limbs. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as she continued to make loud choking sounds, blood dripping from her nose, before she arched her back and let out a scream of pure agony, carrying down the hallways of Beacon to students all over the campus, making more than one student freeze in fear at the sound. Professors had to stop their lessons to give assurances to the now terrified students that all was right.

Oobleck swiftly yanked open the case he'd brought in, pulling out a large syringe and vial filled with a dark green liquid. With quick clipped instructions to hold her down, he began filling the vial as the others in the room endeavored to follow his instructions. Yang leapt up from where she had been sprawled, rushing to grab Ruby's left arm as Blake and Weiss both pinned down her right. Azure grabbed her flailing legs, just as Oobleck rushed with his inhuman speed to Ruby's head. Pinning her head down as best as he could, he jammed the syringe into her neck and pressed the plunger, the dark green liquid slowly emptying out of the syringe.

Seconds later, the liquid seemed to take effect, Ruby slowing down with her thrashing, her limbs beginning to move much more sluggishly. Her back finally lowering to the bed as she sunk into the blankets once more, her breathing slowly coming back to normal. Weiss stumbled back from the bed, tears dripping from her eyes as she tried desperately to wipe them away. Blake let go of the bruising grip she had on Ruby's arm and grabbed a nearby tissue, gently wiping the blood from the younger girl's face as she struggled to contain her own tears. Yang just stared down at Ruby, her expression frozen in one of worry and self-doubt, unsure what she could do even as she began to carefully stroke Ruby's arm. Ruby's bright silver eyes opened once more, her lips moving as she tried to say something, but not loud enough for anyone to hear. Yang bent closer to Ruby.

"What is it, Rubes?"

"Ouch," came Ruby's deadpan reply, finally loud enough for the room to hear. Yang blinked rapidly, before she simply dropped her head onto the pillow next to Ruby's, reaching one arm across her to hug her tightly, muffled tear soaked laughter coming from her. Blake smiled, sniffling, going over to the trash can to throw out the tissues she'd used.

Weiss just stood, frozen in shock, before stomping over to the bed. "You…you…you _dunce!_ Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me Ruby Rose!" Ruby just smiled at Weiss. Even as the reunion was going on, Azure shared a quick glance with Oobleck. Oobleck nodded slightly as he adjusted his glasses again, both men taking a few steps back to remain unobtrusive, but carefully monitoring the situation.

"Ok, so first, let me get up, I really need to stretch." Immediate protests sounded from all three members of her team, but Oobleck raised his hand and spoke softly.

"It is alright. Let her stand, it may make it easier on her if she can get some stretching." Weiss still grumbling, she and Yang helped Ruby to her feet, their hands only scant inches from the red-head as she began shaking her limbs out.

"Can someone tell me what happened? I don't really remember much after the other Grimm showed up…" her voice trailing off slightly at the end. Yang softly began to recount everything that had happened, having heard Jaune being forced to tell it to everyone in the room one by one as they had woken up so many times she had it memorized. After finishing the story, she exchanged an uneasy glance with Oobleck and Azure, both who gestured her to keep going. With that assurance, she also leapt into the explanation Azure had given them as to what to expect for Ruby over the next few days.

Ruby had remained completely silent as this story was regaled to her, her head dropping slightly to the point her bangs covered her eyes completely, leaving her expression unseen by the room. Blake thought it rather disconcerting how still the normally hyperactive girl was, just standing there in her pale hospital gown, arms hanging limply at her sides.

A few seconds of silence were had after Yang had finished her story, prompting her to slowly reach out and touch her sister's arm. "Ruby?" With a scream of rage, Ruby leapt forward, flipping the hospital bed she had been on completely into the air, before whirling on the medical equipment, reaching out to it. Azure and Oobleck had dashed in and grabbed her arms before she could, lifting her off the ground by her arms as she flailed, screeching like a wildcat. Weiss had to dodge to the side as one of Ruby's flailing legs kicked out in the air, falling to the floor in shock. When their eyes locked for one brief second, Weiss felt her heart stop. Those normally bright, lustrous silver eyes were a dull steel gray, her face contorted in a grimace of hate. Weiss could feel the anger emanating off Ruby, almost as surely as the flames that erupted from Yang when she was enraged.

As abruptly as it started, it stopped, Ruby's flailing stopping instantly as her head drooped low, sniffling coming from her as she began muttering to herself. The two older men slowly let her down the ground, where she collapsed to her knees, sobbing quietly. Yang, refusing to be afraid of her baby sister, dropped next to her and enveloped her in a hug, the younger girl returning the hug as she kept muttering.

"I failed everyone, it's all my fault, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, please forgive me I'm so sorry please…" she kept repeating herself, the heart-wrenching sobs echoing through the room. Oobleck began to slowly fill more syringes with the green liquid as Ruby cried, carefully setting three more down in another black padded case, before silently handing it to Blake.

Oobleck leaned down to speak softly to her, making sure not to disturb the two sisters on the ground. "The pain will end faster than the mood swings, but she'll still need one of these every day. Do not let her skip a dose, or it will come back with a vengeance. If you find any side effects, or she gets worse at all, contact me instantly. Agreed, Miss Belladonna?" Blake nodded, gripping the case tightly, as Oobleck left the room. A sudden giggle from the red-head brought her attention back to the ground.

With no warning at all, Ruby squeezed Yang hard, cheering joyfully. "Yay! Team RWBY is back together and in one piece!" Not giving anyone time to react to the next mood swing, she leapt up and into a crushing hug on Blake, one that could easily rival Yang's. Ruby suddenly gasped, her face seeming even younger than before, as she yanked at Blake's bow, unraveling it instantly. "Blake! Has anyone ever told you your ears are so _cute?_ " Not giving the faunus a chance to reply, she began stroking them gently, giggling repeatedly as Blake tried her hardest not to close her eyes and purr. Tried and failed, as she felt the rumble erupt from her chest even as her face was dusted with pink. Ruby had pulled her head down until the faunus's head was nearly smothered in her chest as she kept stroking her ears, cooing about how cute they were. Weiss sat, eye twitching, nails slowly scratching into the floor, but before she could do anything Ruby released Blake and practically tackled Weiss, knocking the both of them into the floor with Ruby laying on top of Weiss.

"Mmm, Weiss…did I ever tell you how good you smell?" Ruby nuzzled her head into Weiss's hair, breathing deep, her voice dropping an octave, making her voice sound that much more sensual to the stricken heiress. "Oooorrr how sexy you are in that skirt…" with a satisfied sound, Ruby sank her teeth gently into Weiss's collarbone, making Weiss give out an involuntary groan as her back arched. Ruby stared into Weiss's eyes, the heiress noting how the bright luster of her eyes had dimmed once again, this time smoldering molten steel, before the brightness and shine appeared again as Ruby leapt to her feet, dragging Weiss with her. Another giggle sounded as she pranced to the door. Turning around, she cocked her head in her adorable fashion. "Well come on guys, I wanna get back into my hood! This paper thing sucks!"

Ruby waltzed out of the room, leaving three flabbergasted teens and one face palming young man frozen in the room. As the remaining members of RWBY began to filter out after their wayward leader, Azure grabbed Weiss by the arm and made her look him in the eye.

"Remember Weiss, she will do things she never would do if she weren't hurt. Don't let it get to you, ok? I promise you, it'll get better." Weiss gulped, still blushing, as she raised her collar to hide the bite mark and dashed out of the room after the other three. Azure just stared at the door, a sad expression on his face, knowing how this was going to end and powerless to stop it.

* * *

At first, it seemed ok. Ruby had been more irritable, but it was little things, and she seemed to get control of her temper quickly, not like that first moment in the medical ward. Team RWBY was still excused from classes, but Ruby needed something to occupy her time, and that something became a problem for the rest of the team.

She became incredibly affectionate with all three of her teammates. She'd leapt onto Yang and start 'tickle wars', giggling all the while, doing her best to drag Blake and Weiss into them. She started trying to pet Blake's 'cute' ears far more often, using ambushes to attack Blake at her weakest, no matter how much it bothered Weiss or Yang. For some reason, she kept shrugging off their protests, almost like she felt no guilt or shame. When it came to Weiss, she had become even worse. Breathy murmurs in the heiress's ear at all times, random slaps on Weiss's rear, a series of bites and nibbles all over Weiss's neck led to the heiress having to change her wardrobe to a turtleneck whenever they left the room to hide the marks. For some reason, Weiss simply couldn't resist Ruby, every time her eyes smoldered like that she was like putty in her hands, even in public.

But each day, Ruby got more sullen, more irritable, until glares were more common from Ruby than smiles. On the day after she had been released, she had jumped on Yang for another tickle war, but Yang rolled over playfully to try to buck her off. Ruby hit her elbow on the dresser in the process, and after remaining silent for a second, she leapt to her feet, snarling at Yang. She grabbed Yang by the front of her shirt and screamed in her face.

" _You bitch!"_ Even as Blake and Weiss froze, never having heard Ruby curse, Ruby swung, her open hand smashing into Yang's face with a tremendous crack, twisting her head to the side. Yang stood, stunned, by the sheer concept of Ruby having slapped her. It only lasted for a second, before Ruby's face contorted in horror. Ruby stared at her hand, unable to move from her position, her hand shaking as she realized what had happened. Looking up just as Yang twisted her head back to look at her, Ruby bolted. A flurry of rose petals were all that Yang could catch as she lunged out to try to stop her sister's escape, to tell her it was ok.

It took WBY six hours to find Ruby, the younger girl crying in the corner of one of the lesser used training rooms, arms wrapped around her knees as she kept her head buried between them. Yang spent the next hour hugging Ruby, whispering to her over and over that it was ok, it wasn't her fault, as Weiss and Blake sat on either side of her, holding her hands and telling her it was ok.

* * *

The next day went surprisingly smoothly, without any major explosions from Ruby. Instead, Weiss spent most of the day flustered, as her girlfriend had suddenly become incredibly hot and bothered, if the words the red-head whispered in her ears all day were any indication. Eventually, Weiss just stammered out an excuse and fled from Ruby, hoping to get some distance before she lost control of herself.

Weiss was trying to study, hoping to get ahead for when they went back to class, when she caught the sound of the door opening right before a weight settled on her back. Stifling an unladylike shriek as she caught the scent of roses, she sighed. "Ruby, please, I told you not to sneak up on me like that." Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss's neck, before slowly kissing the skin just below the heiress's jaw.

She purred into Weiss's ear "But Weiss, I just want to make you scream…" the innuendo in her voice unmistakable, Weiss went rigid, her thoughts scattering, even as she felt the heat rising in her abdomen. Ruby nibbled on her neck, before kissing all the way up her jawline until she reached her ear. Taking it lightly between her teeth, she tugged on it for a second as one of the arms around Weiss's neck slowly snaked down to her collar. Ruby toyed softly with the material that made up the collar of her dress, gently scraping her nails over the pale skin. Weiss's head fell back onto Ruby's shoulder, an unsteady whimper coming from her mouth as Ruby went back to nibbling on her neck, her voice a sensual mockery of its normal one.

"Is something the matter, princess?" Weiss growled slightly, before flushing at the uncharacteristic sound she had just made, before taking a deep breath to try to calm her raging heartbeat.

"You know _exactly_ what's wrong, dunce! Stop teasing me!" Ruby smirked against her neck, as Weiss realized what a poor choice of words that was.

"As you wish," was the only reply Ruby gave, before she slid her fingers down underneath the heiress's dress, her hand slowly making its way down the heiress's chest. As her fingers gently slid over the slope of her chest, the sound of the door of the dorm opening made Ruby whip her hand back from Weiss, returning to a position where it looked like she was just hugging the heiress. As Yang gave Ruby a boisterous greeting, Weiss kept her back to the other girls, knowing if she turned her red face, panting breath, and wide eyes would give everything away. Instead, she slammed her book shut, before grabbing her pajamas and marching into the bathroom for a shower before bed. A very cold one. Yang looked at Ruby, confused.

"What's with her?" Ruby's only response was a shrug, her sly smile hidden as she turned away from her sister.

* * *

By the time the fifth day had ended, team RWBY was more than ready for this to end. Almost as though Ruby were trying to make up for being so nice on day three, she was especially cruel on the fourth and fifth. Everything she could yell about, she did, and some things she couldn't, she still did. She threw Yang's Achieve-Men posters out the window, ripping them into pieces in the process, and sneered at Yang when she demanded to know why, telling her she needed to get over her ' _stupid boy band crush'_.

As Blake exited the library and was on her way back to her dorm, she found Ruby standing in the middle of the Beacon yard, holding one of her books in hand, reading it calmly. Confused, Blake asked her why she was reading it, which set Ruby off. Defensive about Blake's question, Ruby got increasingly hostile, until she threw the book up in the air, and with her unparalleled speed, slashed clean through it with Crescent Rose, spinning her scythe over and over to dice it into little shreds. When Blake could only stare numbly at her, she simply sauntered past her, calling back "Don't worry, I'll make it up to you. I'll buy you some catnip later, you can just get high like any good social reject."

Team JNPR was not spared her wrath either. Between her tripping Jaune in the hallway and telling him to stop failing at everything including walking, to her using her semblance to steal Nora's pancakes and throwing them into the trash as 'retaliation for interrupting her story three weeks ago', JNPR was hard pressed to stay calm.

But no matter how cruel Ruby got, how much horrible glee she seemed to get from it, nobody on either team blamed her. They knew this wasn't their Ruby, this wasn't their friend, teammate, sister, or girlfriend. And they would be patient, would wait, until Ruby came back. It couldn't get worse, right?

* * *

On the sixth day after she had been released from the medical ward, Ruby and Weiss were walking into the cafeteria, heading towards their normal table. Ruby was practically clinging to the heiress's arm, Weiss's normally pale face flushed, both from embarrassment and arousal after the heated make out session Ruby had just ended with her. She kept her gaze low, hoping to avoid anyone seeing how hot her face was, or the way her lips looked so bruised. With her mind set on keeping her prior activities secret, Weiss was not listening to the murmurs or voices around her, and thusly missed Cardin's loud comment to his team members, sending them into gales of laughter.

"Wow, never thought Schnee would be a dyke. Carpet muncher's, ahoy!" Weiss missed it, Yang missed it, Blake missed it. But Ruby did not. It took a moment for Weiss to realize the warmth that had been clinging to her side was gone, a single rose petal slowly floating to the ground to her side making her blink in puzzlement, before a loud crash made her whip her head around, just in time to see Cardin impacting the roof of the cafeteria, before a red blur smashed into him again, sending him falling straight into the tables below. He coughed and tried to stand, but a kick to his head silenced him even as his team members tried to leap to his defense. Russell found himself flying through the air, propelled by a punch Yang would have been proud of, smashing into the pile of dirty dishes at the sink. Dove felt a bench smash into his stomach, doubling him over, before a knee to his face sent him straight into the world of darkness. Sky jolted backwards and tried to run, but a red hooded figure appeared in front of him, a flurry of rose petals flying before her even as her cloak failed to stop moving, sweeping in front of her. To his terrified eyes, it looked like some vengeful spirit, right before a flashing foot impacted his temple, knocking him through the next three tables before he hit a column, unconscious.

By the time everyone had frozen in place, noticing what had happened, the still hooded Ruby was hoisting Cardin in the air with one inhumanely strong arm, the other one deploying Crescent Rose with a familiar clanking sound. Nobody dared to breathe as she paused, Cardin dangling lifelessly from her hand, before her muscles tightened on her grip on her scythe. But she could not move it, it locked in position. Pyrrha had her hand out, concentrating, a soft glow emanating from her hand as she tried desperately to keep control over Crescent Rose, even as Weiss slowly stepped in front of Ruby. Keeping herself in front of the red-head, Weiss spoke softly.

"Ruby? Ruby, come on, you don't want to do this."

Ruby's voice was gravelly, growling, a barely contained snarl hiding behind it. "He is a pathetic piece of _shit!_ He gets off on hurting others. He's no better than a Grimm. _We_ _kill Grimm!_ " Weiss gulped slightly, still not used to Ruby cursing, before making up her mind. She walked closer to Ruby, slowly, hands out in front of her in clear view, showing she wasn't a threat. She was mindful of how the other members of JNPR and her own team were circling Ruby, Pyrrha sweating as she tried to keep ahold of Crescent Rose, other student's trying to escape the cafeteria as quietly as possible. Weiss kept creeping slowly closer, refusing to be intimidated by the growls Ruby kept emitting. As cautiously as she could, Weiss gripped the edge of Ruby's hood in one hand and lowered it, looking straight into the younger girl's blank eyes as she did. Rage contorted Ruby's face, but it didn't reach her eyes. They were just that dull gray color once more, completely blank, looking nearly dead to Weiss. The heiress gulped, before placing one hand carefully on Ruby's cheek.

"Ruby, please…let him go. This isn't you Ruby. Come back to me, please." This time, the rage reached Ruby's eyes, a flare of temper making her eyes go hot and molten.

"Back to _you_? What, like I'm your fucking belonging? Like I'm another _toy_ for the princess to own, huh? Is that how this works, I _belong_ to you now? _Is that what you think of ME?!_ " her voice steadily rising, screaming the last words in the heiress's face. Weiss flinched back, horror etched on her face as the venom in Ruby's voice cut straight into her. She had never felt so hurt in her life, her heart ached hearing that. Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes as she tried to remember what Azure had tried, tried so hard to ignore how much it hurt, but failing as the tears began to fall. Ruby sneered at her, speaking mockingly. "Oh I'm sorry, did I hurt your poor wittle feelings? Well _fuck you!_ All I ever did was try to be your friend, and all you did was push me away! Well maybe I'm fucking tired of it! Tired of _you!_ Maybe… _I HATE YOU!_ "

That was the last straw. Weiss couldn't take it, the sheer hate in her voice breaking her will and she fled, not caring who she bumped into as she dashed away, unable to take it anymore. That movement seemed to break the spell Ruby was under, shaking her head as if to clear it. With alarming clarity, the past few moments broke through the cloud of anger she had been in, and she froze. Crescent Rose fell from her lifeless fingers as Cardin was released, emitting an unconscious grunt as his body hit the ground. Ruby didn't notice. She didn't see how her friends rushed to her side, how Pyrrha quickly moved Crescent Rose away from her. She didn't notice anything, even as she fell to her knees, looking down at her bruised and bloodied hands. The only thing she could do was grab her hair tightly, lifting her head up and screaming out, rage replaced by anguish as she cried and wailed into the night.


	17. Chapter 17

The distinctive clacking sounds of heels alerted the gathered teams to the presence of Goodwitch. They refused to take their eyes off Ruby though, still sobbing with her head in her hands, even as a sigh sounded behind them. A wave of her riding crop and the four members of team CRDL were lifted from where they lay and were spirited out the door, presumably to the infirmary, as a second wave began repairing the cafeteria to its original, unbroken state. Idly, Blake wondered how many times Glynda had been forced to repair the cafeteria before the arrival of teams RWBY and JNPR. The heeled woman strode up to the teenagers, carefully stepping between them, her normal scowl gone and replaced with a carefully blank look. Kneeling slowly on the floor in front of Ruby, she reached up and gently took hold of Ruby's chin and lifted her head up.

Ruby slowly opened her watery eyes, her silver orbs staring straight into Glynda's for what felt like an eternity, before a tiny smile made its way across the older woman's face. She released Ruby's face and stood, dusting her knees off, before looking down at the younger girl.

"Welcome back Miss Rose," came the soft response from the professor, as she spun on her heel and started to stride out of the cafeteria.

Blake stopped her with a quiet 'wait'. "By back you mean…?"

Goodwitch kept her back to the teens, keeping her voice gentle. "As you journey through this school, you will learn how to judge an aura through the eyes, and by extension, the soul. A damaged soul is easy to spot when you know where to look. Often times, the most painful experience is right when the last pieces of the soul have repaired themselves. Miss Rose is back…and now she needs you more than ever." Her voice trailed off quietly as she resumed her walk out of the cafeteria, leaving it dead silent in the wake of her exit. Ruby's sobs diminished; her breathing becoming steadier, until the only sound heard was a quiet whisper.

"Weiss," was all that Ruby said, before a flurry of rose petals spun out as Ruby snatched up Crescent Rose and dashed out of the cafeteria, not even giving the others in the room time to react. Yang and Blake shared a concerned look, but before they could chase after her, Pyrrha stepped in front of them and shook her head.

"You couldn't catch her if you tried…let her go find Weiss. Let her try to work it out." Pyrrha's quiet plea shattered their resolve. Yang sat down on a bench, elbows on her thighs as she placed her head in her hands. She didn't know if the tears were from relief it was over, or from fear of what was to come, but she couldn't stop them from flowing. Even as Blake pulled the blonde into her arms, at Pyrrha gently rubbed her back, as Jaune dashed to the kitchen and back with a glass of water (which he proceeded to spill half on himself in his rush), the blonde brawler just silently cried.

* * *

Ruby was a bolt of lightning as she tore through the school, checking every nook and cranny she could find. She didn't think she had ever run this fast in her life, and it was taking its toll. Her soul may have been repaired, but her aura was still weak, and she knew she couldn't keep this speed up for long. She didn't care. Even as her semblance littered every hallway in the building, as the few students in the hall were nearly swept up by the wind in her wake, she only had eyes for one thing. Unable to find her in the building, she leapt out the doors of Beacon, not caring that she nearly ripped one off its hinges in her desperation. She raced across the campus, desperately seeking any sign of Weiss. She checked everything she could, desperately praying in her head _'Oh god please let her still be here please don't let her go she's left she's gone home she'll never come back please Weiss I'm so sorry please please please don't leave I need to find her I need to say I'm sorry she'll never forgive me please don't leave!'_

A tiny strain of something musical reached her ears just as she landed on the statue in the courtyard. Pausing, not even daring to breathe, she strained her ears, hearing it again. Eyes snapping to the Emerald Forest, she gulped, hoping she was wrong but refusing to be afraid. Another powerful leap of her legs and she sped off in the direction of the Forest, jumping up into the trees as soon as she reached them. As she neared the cliff where they had been launched off for their first test, the sounds became clearer. A high, clear voice, singing words she still couldn't make out at first. Closer and closer, recognizing Weiss's voice, she sped, legs burning and breath coming in short pants. All she could hear over the sound of blood rushing in her ears was snippets, something about mirrors and loneliness, until one last note trailed off as she came into view of the cliff. One line she could hear clearly.

 _'I'm the loneliest of…all_.' Crashing through the tree line, one final leap, Ruby burst out into the air above the cliff. Weiss spun around, locking eyes with Ruby, shock freezing her in place. Ruby, her depth perception thrown off by the moonlight, had misjudged the distance to the cliff edge. Crescent Rose out of ammunition, she could only watch helplessly as she flew past Weiss and out into the open air over the Emerald Forest. Weiss cried out wordlessly, leaping out after her, reaching her hand out. Ruby stretched hers out, calling out Weiss's name into the darkness. An eternity seemed to pass before their fingers touched, Ruby swiftly pulling Weiss towards her even as Weiss began making gestures in the air. Without Myrtenaster to help her focus, it was much more difficult, but a slowly spinning white glyph appeared in their path, making the two girls land in a tangled heap on it.

Weiss lifted herself off Ruby's chest, anxiously checking her for bruises from the rough landing. Noticing the leaves stuck in her hair and scratches on her face and arms from branches, she went back to what was familiar. Scolding Ruby.

"You dunce! What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself killed! Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'Look before you leap'?!" Weiss smacked Ruby hard in the chest, before her eyes widened as Ruby coughed, the heiress remembering Ruby's barely healed injury. Ruby sat up, Weiss still half sprawled on her lap, and tenderly brushed the heiress's hair back. She didn't know what she wanted to say; gulping a few times as she tried to think of the words, but it was all she could to hold her own tears back. When Weiss locked eyes with Ruby, the redness of Weiss's ice blue eyes telling Ruby exactly how upset Weiss had been, she lost her fight with her tears and began to sob. Dropping her hands into her lap, not sure if she was allowed to touch the heiress, Ruby spoke haltingly.

"Weiss, I'm so so sorry. I can't believe I did that to you, I don't hate you, I never hated you I swear. I love you so much it hurts whenever you aren't with me, I can't say I'm sorry enough. I'm so sorry Weiss, please, don't leave me-" Ruby's rambling was cut off by a finger from the heiress touching softly to her lip, making her lift her head enough to look at Weiss.

Weiss kept her eyes locked on Ruby, her voice quiet. "Do you really think I see you as just a belonging?" Ruby shook her head vehemently; about to spill into another series of apologies, but Weiss just placed her finger over Ruby's mouth again. Weiss smiled shyly at Ruby, before speaking, her voice oddly stilted and proper. "I would forgive you, but there is nothing to forgive. You have my word." Taking Ruby's hand and cupping it in her own, Weiss lifted it to her lips and kissed the back of her knuckles, keeping her eyes trained on Ruby's face and enjoying the sight of Ruby blushing. Smirking to herself at how she finally was the one to do the flustering, Weiss slowly leaned forward until she was a breath away from Ruby's lips, letting the younger girl make the final decision. A decision the red-head was more than happy to make, embracing Weiss as she drew her closer, kissing her deeply.

Ruby pulled away as her breath ran out, panting in unison with Weiss. She kissed Weiss's lips again quickly, pulling away to look the older girl in the eye. "Weiss?"

"Hmm?"

"How long can you hold this glyph?"

"A while, since we're not moving or fighting anything. Why?"

In response, Ruby swept her arm behind her, gesturing to the shadowed forest glimmering in the pale moonlight. She took a deep breath of the clear night air, before smiling brightly at Weiss. "Cause, I'm thinking this is a beautiful night to do some stargazing."

Weiss's smile grew till it nearly matched Ruby's, the warm feeling inside her making her feel even more loved. She nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Blake watched anxiously as Yang paced back and forth in the dorm, arms behind her back. Her blonde hair was glowing slightly, a light scent of smoke coming off her that Blake was choosing to ignore. The faunus could see how difficult it was for her partner to keep calm, and wished she knew how to help. She'd forgiven Ruby for her behavior a while ago, not taking it to heart, but wasn't sure how easily she could forgive the worry the younger girl had caused her sister. Was this what it was like to love someone so much? She wasn't sure if she liked the way it hurt, seeing Yang struggling so much. A ringing scroll sent Yang diving for her bag, rummaging through it recklessly until she grabbed the scroll and Ruby's cheerful voice came across.

"Hey sis, Blake! I found Weiss. We're ok, but we're gonna stay out for the night, ok? I promise we're ok, Weiss is looking out for me." A quick scuffle sounded, before the smooth voice of the heiress came across the line, as Ruby could be heard muttering in the back. "I promise Yang, I'll keep her out of trouble. You two get some sleep, we'll be back in the morning." A click was heard as the message ended, as Yang slumped down into a chair. Her hair lost its glow, and as she turned to Blake, the faunus could see a small smile on her tired face, as she spoke in an exhausted voice.

"They're ok. That's good."

Blake smiled softly at Yang and nodded, before patting the bed next to herself. Yang blinked at the offer, before wearily getting herself up from the chair, flicking off the bedroom light, and plopping down on the bed next to Blake, nearly launching the cat faunus into the air. Blake gave her a playful glare, before laying her head on Yang's shoulder. Yang's arm wrapped around her waist instinctively, sighing as she lay her own head on top of Blake's, her extra height making it easier. Finding herself able to relax for the first time in a week, Yang slowly began petting Blake, running her hands softly over Blake's bow. When Blake made no objection, just snuggled in closer to Yang, she slowly untied the bow and began softly stroking her ears. The purr that rumbled from Blake's chest made Yang smile, even as Blake went pink. She still however made no move to pull away, so Yang decided to try something else.

Leaning over slightly, Yang gently took the tip of Blake's cat ear between her teeth and nibbled slightly. The effect was immediate, Blake went rigid, her eyes closing and a deep moan sounding out from within her. Yang paused and looked down, a bit shocked at the reaction. Blake slowly opened her eyes sleepily to see Yang staring at her, before it hit her what had just happened. She flushed crimson and looked away from Yang, cupping her elbow in her other hand. Yang placed one hand gently on Blake's cheek, turning her partner's face back to her own. Lilac eyes gazed into amber ones, before Yang smiled. Tucking Blake's hair behind her ear, she captured the faunus girl's lips in a kiss, sliding her tongue between her lips instantly. Blake responded passionately, embracing Yang tightly as the two girls fell back onto Blake's bed.

Yang slowly slid her hand up Blake's shirt, making Blake freeze as her eyes went wide. As soon as Yang felt her partner freeze, she broke the kiss, apologetic. She cleared her throat slightly, before speaking in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't-"

Blake looked away shiftily as she mumbled, interrupting Yang. "No no, it's not that. I liked it. I…I just…" she choked off for a second, letting her hands fall down to the bed. Yang cocked her head to the side, a questioning look in her eyes.

"What?"

"…I don't know what to do. I've umm…never done this before."

Yang giggled slightly, before poking Blake in the side, making her squeal slightly. "Well, neither have I. So we'll be on the same page."

Blake looked oddly at Yang. "Wait…but I thought you…"

Yang shook her head. "Nope! One hundred percent virgin here."

Blake blinked. "But, you always seem like you, umm, know what you're doing."

Yang just leaned down, setting her forehead against Blake's and smirking. At the sight of that smirk, Blake suddenly became breathless, finally understanding why that smirk from Ruby kept setting Weiss off. "Of course I know what I'm doing. I'm a girl, silly kitty. Who better to know?" Blake wanted to try to argue that statement, to point out the obvious flaw that she herself was a girl and had no clue, but Yang just nipped at her ear again, sending her entire body into spasms. She felt a whimper escape her, as Yang just chuckled darkly, before sitting up. Yang unbuttoned her brown jacket and tossed it off to the side, before lifting her yellow undershirt off as well. Blake gulped as she noticed Yang had not been wearing a bra under that shirt. Yang leaned down again, her breasts swaying tantalizingly in front of Blake, still wearing that smirk. A quick flick of her finger released Blake's black half jacket, before placing her hands on the edge of the faunus's white shirt. She looked up at Blake, silently asking permission. Blake nodded, lifting her back off the bed so Yang could remove her shirt. Yang took a moment to scan her eyes over Blake, smiling as she realized the pretty kitty was all hers.

Something about Yang's smirk woke something bold within Blake. She just decided to go with it, and fight fire with fire. Putting on her own slow, seductive smile, Blake trailed her fingers lightly along Yang's cheek. "Like what you see, blondie?" Yang's flabbergasted blink made Blake snort, trying to contain her laughter, before losing control. She burst out laughing, just unable to hold in her giggles at the confusion that was written on Yang's face, closing her eyes for a moment as she felt tears coming on. Cracking her eyes open, she felt her laughter grow at the indignant pout on Yang's face.

Yang couldn't hold her own indignant pose, and began giggling as well, the motion doing interesting things to her chest that caught Blake's attention, interrupting her laughter as she found herself gazing at the very well-endowed Yang Xiao Long. A small part of her mind whispered _'and she's all mine'_ , making her smile at the thought. Yang's laughter trailed off as she saw where Blake's gaze had fallen, and she planted her hands on Blake's abdomen, making Blake jolt for a second as she locked eyes again with Yang. Yang gave a contemplative look, before taking her hands off Blake and placing them together in front of her, as though she were praying. "I'm gonna try something, ok?" Blake nodded, curious, as Yang closed her eyes, before she saw the telltale golden glow of Yang's hair light up the dorm slightly. Yang breathed out slowly, before opening her eyes and laying her hands down on Blake's abdomen again.

The cat faunus jumped, the previously lukewarm hands now hot, just sitting at the line between warm and too hot. Yang looked questioningly at Blake.

"Too hot?"

Blake shook her head no, smiling at Yang. "No. It's kinda nice actually." Yang smiled back, letting her hands slowly slide up Blake's abdomen, stopping just shy of her breasts. She let the heat of her fingers warm up the skin slightly, before softly brushing her fingers on the underside of Blake's breast. Yang felt a burst of pride at the way Blake twitched, her fingers curling in on themselves as she sucked in a quick breath. Slowly, Yang circled around her chest, taking great care to keep at the same steady pace, enjoying the way Blake twitched and writhed beneath her hands. Deciding to end the torture, Yang slid her hands over the crest of Blake's chest, slightly rubbing her nipples with her palms, before taking them gently between her index finger and thumb, and rolling them. Blake's gasp of air was quickly silenced by a soft kiss from Yang, before she began trailing kisses down Blake's neck to her collarbone.

Yang lifted her head up to grin at Blake's wide eyes, before giving Blake a saucy wink and slowly kissing her way down her partner's chest, letting her own barely brush against Blake's and sending another shiver through the faunus. Kissing up the slope of Blake's chest, Yang took her nipple between her lips and sucked ever so gently, before releasing it and blowing softly over it. She heard muffled cursing coming from the direction of Blake's head, and glanced up to see the cat faunus with her hand over her mouth, eyes closed as she tried to muffle the sounds she was making. Yang leaned off onto the side of Blake's body, stretching out next to her. Keeping one hand on her chest, slowly massaging the area, Yang propped her head up on her other elbow and just spent a few seconds enjoying the view of the normally stoic Blake Belladonna squirming in pleasure. She slid her hand down her abdomen once more, unsnapping the belts holding her stockings up.

Yang slowly peeled down Blake's white shorts, sitting up to carefully slide her stockings down one by one. She placed small, feather light kisses on her legs as she went, smirking to herself as she kept her eyes locked with the faunus's half lidded amber eyes. Blake's breathing was stilted, as she kept having to gulp in air, seemingly losing all semblance of control over her own over time. As Yang rolled the last stocking off, she slid back up to lay beside the now nude Blake, nearly flush against Blake's side. Starting her hand on Blake's nose, the blonde slowly trailed one finger down her face, along the curve of her neck, straight down through the valley of her breasts, across her abdomen, and down below her waist, stopping just barely above Blake's core. She winked once at Blake, before flattening her hand out and delicately sliding it down over Blake, cupping her.

Blake let out a loud moan, uncaring if anyone heard her anymore. Her body was on fire, every touch Yang made sending out delicious quivers through her. Yang slowly began rubbing Blake's clitoris, making the faunus roll her hips back and forth, whimpering slightly. Yang pressed her lips to Blake's, eagerly taking the invitation for tongue, even as she dipped two fingers inside her. Curling them slowly, giving Blake time to get used to the intrusion, she flicked her thumb over Blake's clit, swallowing Blake's moan even as she upped the pace.

With how sensitive Blake was, it took almost no time before she arched her back, her mouth gaping open as she felt a rush flow through her, lighting every nerve on fire. She felt like she had been struck by a bolt of lightning, unable to control the aftershocks that kept shooting through her. She fell back on the bed, panting, as Yang carefully withdrew. Rolling over onto her stomach, Yang pillowed her head on her arms and smiled gently at Blake, waiting till she could control her breathing. Blake turned her head to look at Yang, swallowing with a throat suddenly dry, before reaching over with a shaky hand and poking the blonde.

"What is it, kitty cat?"

Blake poked her again, giving a halfhearted glare. "Pants off, blondie. Your turn."

Yang raised an eyebrow at Blake. "Well, now ain't that romantic?" she teased, getting an unamused glare from her partner.

Blake poked her again, rolling onto her side, mimicking Yang's previous position. "If you think you're gonna get away with doing that to me, and not suffering it yourself, you got another thing coming. Now, pants off." Yang would never admit it, but Blake being so dominant was giving her goosebumps. She wriggled out of her pants, before laying on her back, pillowing her arms behind her head as she smirked at Blake.

"Well, I'm all yours Blakey." _'That smirk should be illegal.'_ Blake thought, before turning her attention to the blonde. She took a moment to appreciate the brawler, slowly scanning from her well-toned legs, to the juncture between her legs. Pausing for a moment as she noticed the shine from wetness, she felt a smug sense of pride knowing she wasn't the only one feeling it. She continued her exam, looking over the well-defined six-pack on Yang's abdomen and was overcome with an urge to trace each muscle…so she did. She practically leapt on top of Yang, purring lightly as she straddled the blonde's waist, letting her hands roam over Yang's abdomen. She studied each muscle intently, committing them to memory, reminding herself of how strong the blonde truly was.

Blake was no slouch when it came to physical things, but Yang was built like a greek goddess, each muscle toned and firm. Biting her lip, Blake bent down and nipped at Yang's abdomen, letting her fairly sharp teeth scrape lightly against them. Yang gave a muffled yelp in shock, before breathing out her partner's name. The blonde felt her breath catch in her throat when Blake locked her eyes on her own…the faunus looked wild, her hair a tangled mess, a predatory glint in her eyes as she examined Yang. Gently placing her hands on the bed, caging Yang's waist between them, Blake began prowling up the bed, moving her closer to Yang's face, until she was positioned perfectly overtop the brawler, staring straight down into those lilac eyes.

Blake dropped down in an instant, locking her lips with Yang's in a searing kiss, even as her hands went to work. One slide down to carefully squeeze one of the blonde's breasts, the other tracing the muscles on her back. Yang's soft groan reverberated through her chest, making Blake smile proudly against the brawler's lips. Breaking the kiss, she nipped at Yang's neck, before latching onto her shoulder and biting, hard, even as she dug her nails into Yang's back. She was operating purely on instinct now, licking at the bite mark right after, even as Yang muttered a curse. Blake latched back onto the sensitive bite mark, sucking on it, even as she sent one hand straight between Yang's legs.

Feeling every muscle in the blonde's body tense, the faunus tried to mirror what Yang had done earlier, guessing she'd gotten it right from the way Yang began flailing slightly. Between what the blonde had done to Blake, and the faunus's own efforts, Yang felt the familiar feelings burn inside her, sending jolts down her spine. She grabbed a pillow and slammed it over her face, screaming into it as she slammed her legs together, accidently trapping Blake's hand. After a few moments of breathing into the pillow, she relaxed, letting Blake retreat and fall beside her. A few moments later, Yang reached out with one long arm and pulled Blake tight against her. For her part, the faunus snuggled into the brawler's side, curling up slightly, almost able to feel the fire burning beneath Yang's skin. Yang kicked at the blanket, trying to kick it up and over the two girls, before Blake sighed and rolled her eyes.

Blake reached down with her free hand, blindly patting around until she could find the blanket, grabbing it and yanking it over the two. Yang yawned sleepily, before kissing the top of Blake's head.

"Love ya, Blakey."

Blake smiled, eyes closed as she snuggled her head closer to Yang's shoulder. "Love you too, blondie."

* * *

Weiss pointed out another constellation to Ruby, carefully tracing it through the air with her finger as Ruby watched, nodding along as she lay her head on the heiress's shoulder. The heiress was in the middle of explaining the history behind that particular constellation when she noticed how Ruby had gotten slightly distant from her, looking sullenly at the ground. Frowning, Weiss flicked the younger girl in the forehead.

"Hey, dunce. What's wrong?"

Ruby sighed, rubbing her head where Weiss had flicked her, before mumbling. "I screwed so many things up…I just don't know how I'm going to make it up to everyone!"

Weiss's frown deepened as she grabbed Ruby by the shoulders, shaking her to get her attention as she spoke with an exasperated tone. "Ruby Rose, for the last time, no one cares. We don't need you to make anything up to us!"

Ruby shook her head solemnly. "Even if that's true, it's something I gotta do Weiss. I can't just let this go. I have to fix this."

Weiss looked deep into Ruby's eyes, before sighing. "Fine, fine. Alright dolt, I'll help you." Ruby immediately began protesting, before the heiress once again quieted her with a finger on her lips. "I'm helping you, and that's final." Ruby opened her mouth to argue again, but Weiss just shook her head. "Nope! No arguments!" Ruby crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, but Weiss stood firm. Ruby sighed.

"Ok Weiss. We'll do it your way. Like always." Ruby muttered the last bit, but Weiss heard her clearly. Choosing not to take it personally, Weiss just smirked proudly as she stood, brushing at her skirt to remove imaginary dust particles.

"Well of course. My way is _obviously_ the best way." Weiss gave a cocky grin to Ruby, before reaching down to help her get up. Ruby rolled her eyes at the heiress, but accepted her arm and pulled herself up. Weiss nearly fell over, not realizing how strong Ruby was, and only barely kept her feet. As she stood up straight, she looked Ruby right in the…nose? Looking down, she realized she wasn't wearing her heels, and that meant…

"Ruby Rose! When in Dust's name did you get taller than me?!"


	18. Chapter 18

Ruby walked straight into Weiss's back, the heiress freezing when she opened the door to their dorm. Shaking her head slightly, Ruby peered over Weiss's shoulder to see what made the heiress freeze, only to cover her mouth with her hand to quiet her giggles. Scattered clothes flung about the room, only the brilliant shine of Yang's golden hair visible, tangled and fluffed out in Blake's bed. Weiss just stood there, mouth gaping open as her eye twitched slightly. Color rose to her cheeks before she swept into the room, pointedly refusing to look in the direction of the other two. She grabbed her neatly folded pajamas from her dresser and stalked into the bathroom, head held high even as Ruby kept quietly giggling to herself. When the heiress closed the bathroom door, Ruby shrugged to herself, before closing the door to the dorm behind her. Seeing no reason to wait for the heiress, the younger girl performed her patented instant clothing switch move, disappearing in a flurry of rose petals from her current outfit and catching it before it hit the ground, her own pajamas already on.

Putting her clothing away, Ruby had already reached up to the edge of her bed to begin clambering up into it when Weiss placed her hand gently on her arm. Turning around, Ruby was met with the adorable sight of Weiss blushing lightly, refusing to meet her eyes, before mumbling something under her breath. Ruby cocked her head in confusion at the white haired girl.

"What?" Ruby whispered. Weiss stomped her foot silently, letting out an annoyed breath.

"I said, you can…you know. Sleep here. Down here. With me?" The last part of her statement said as a question, an unsure tone in her voice as she kept looking at the floor. Ruby smiled softly, taking Weiss's face in her hands and kissing her deeply, before pulling back Weiss's covers and gesturing for the heiress to get in. Weiss slid down under the sheets, sighing softly at the comfort of the sheets, facing the wall and scooting over to leave room for Ruby to get in behind her. As Ruby settled down, Weiss grabbed the younger girl's arms, and wrapped herself up in them, letting Ruby snuggle into her back. The weight of this past week seemed to fall off Weiss's shoulders, as she relaxed into Ruby's embrace, before passing out nearly instantly.

Ruby waited with bated breath until the sound of Weiss's even breathing denoted the heiress's place in Morpheus's realm, before laying her head down on the pillow, feeling the tears prickling from the corner of her eyes. She hated it. She hated it all. Ruby couldn't stand it. Weiss wasn't _allowed_ to forgive her that easily! No one was! She hated how she had lied to Weiss even more. When Weiss had said she couldn't forgive her because there was nothing to forgive, she wanted to protest more. She wanted to argue, but she couldn't. Not when Weiss was still looking at her that way.

_'You really screwed up, you know that?'_

_'Of course I do!'_

_'You don't deserve her forgiveness.'_

_'…I know.'_

_'What can you even do to say sorry to them, anyways?'_

_'I…I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I did such terrible things…'_

_'And liked them.'_

_'No! Of course I didn't!'_

_'Lying to yourself? That's pathetic.'_

_'But I didn't! I hated them!'_

_'Right, and that's why you felt so powerful when you yelled at Weiss, when you slapped your sister? Cause you hated it, right?'_

_'…oh god, I'm such a fuckup.'_

_'Yep. Failed as a leader, failed as a huntress, failed even as a friend. Something even Weiss didn't fail at, and you're her first friend. You just failed at everything.'_

_'…I know.'_

_'Hell, Cardin is a jerk, but you went too far with him. You nearly killed another student!'_

_'But he said such awful things! He's an awful person!'_

_'Not arguing that, but doesn't mean you should kill him. What, you enjoy the thought of being a murderer? Maybe you're some sort of crazy serial killer. I mean, you are arguing with a voice in your head right now.'_

_'What? No! I mean, yeah, I'm arguing with a voice in my head but I still am not a serial killer!'_

_'How do you know? Maybe that Ruby you were the past week is the real Ruby?'_

_'No. No, that's not. I won't be that…that thing! I'm going to be a hero, I'm going to protect people! That's why I'm here!'_

_'Haven't done a great job of it so far though. But hey, believe what you want, what do I know, I'm just you.'_

_'GAH! Just shut up ok! Just shut up! I'll fix it! I'll make it up to them somehow! Just SHUT UP!'_ Ruby slammed her head into the pillow again, the jolt making Weiss mumble in her sleep, before the heiress cuddled closer to Ruby's arm. Ruby could only look down on her sadly. In her sleep, the stresses of Weiss's day, her heritage, her determination, it all faded away. Only in her sleep was Weiss relaxed, finally breathing easy. And Ruby had nearly taken that all away from her. She would fix it, she had to. Just as soon as she woke up…

* * *

Weiss was as good as her word. As soon as she and Ruby had woken, they had snuck out of the room, Blake and Yang still dead to the world. While Weiss had some choice words for the two of them, she decided it could wait until later. One advantage to being rich and destined to control the most important company in Remnant was connections.

The first thing she did was march over to team JNPR's dorm, and dragged Jaune out, still in his onesie. She sat him down and made Ruby sit next to him, before saying she was leaving to take care of something and would be back in a few minutes. It actually took her fifteen minutes to make the calls she needed to make, and when she came back she found Ruby crying into Jaune's shoulder as he awkwardly patted her back, repeating to her it was ok. For once, Weiss had no problems with jealousy, just smiling softly at the two of them, before an echo of Ruby's shouts rang in her mind again. Her face twitched slightly, smile fading, but as soon as they noticed her presence she threw it back on again.

Weiss wasn't angry at Ruby. She hadn't lied, no, of course she hadn't. There was nothing to forgive. It wasn't Ruby's fault. Weiss just had to get over it on her own, and she would. She was a Schnee, and Schnee's always handled themselves with decorum and dignity. Didn't matter that she kept seeing Ruby's face twisting into that snarl, or that she had to fight back a flinch every time Ruby raised her voice. Didn't matter that she had to randomly check Ruby's eyes to be sure that they weren't blank, making the younger girl question why Weiss kept ducking her head in front of her to stare at her. Nope, didn't matter. Did not matter at all. Weiss shook her head as she noticed the two standing up again, Ruby waving her hand energetically in front of her face.

"Hey, Remnant to Weiss, come in Weiss." Weiss scoffed, playfully batting Ruby's hand away, before pointing at Jaune with a stern expression. Jaune froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights, as Weiss marched closely to him before poking him in the chest.

"Jaune, I need you to do something for me. Make sure Nora is late to breakfast, ok?"

Jaune just blinked. "Umm…why?"

Weiss poked him in the chest again, stern. "Doesn't matter why! Do it!"

Jaune shrugged, placating the heiress. "Ok, ok. Yeesh. Got it. What about Ren and Pyrrha?"

Weiss thought carefully for a minute. "You know what, just make your entire team late. It makes more sense that way. Just like five to ten minutes, ok?" Jaune nodded.

* * *

Apparently, Weiss's method of helping Ruby apologize to Nora involved hiring a chef to come in and cook Nora as many pancakes as she could eat, after the other cooks had left the cafeteria. Which, as it turns out, according to Yang's running count, was eighty three. This discovery led to repeated whispered questions to Ren about whether Nora was actually a human, or a pancake eating creature that simply resembled humans, since eating that many pancakes was not physically possible. Ren's response was always the same…a small smile followed by a casual shrug.

The apology Blake got was a signed copy of the book Ruby had sliced apart, and a signed copy of every other book in that series from the author, including the still un-released next volume in the saga. Blake was utterly dumbfounded, unable to do anything but gently stroke the books while hugging them to her chest. Turned out Weiss's cousin was best friends with the author. Weiss just shrugged with a small smile and mouthed 'connections' to Yang. Ruby kept telling Weiss it wasn't a real apology from her, because Weiss is the one who made it happen, but Weiss argued this point repeatedly.

"You're my girlfriend, and I'm yours. We share our lives, so we share blame." While every other person disagreed internally with Weiss's extremely flawed logic, no one bothered speaking up…convincing the heiress otherwise simply wasn't the effort. Not that Blake really cared. She had never blamed Ruby in the first place, so she didn't think she needed an apology. She sure wasn't going to turn this down, though.

Yang was insistent they do nothing for her, but Weiss was as stubborn as the blonde, and kept shoving a box into Yang's hands. Eventually, Weiss convinced Ruby to do the pouting face, which broke Yang instantly. Sighing harshly, Yang ripped the box open, only to have her own dumbfounded moment. Inside the box was a signed picture of the members of the Achieve-Men, along with a small disk to be inserted into her scroll. Pressing play, she was treated to a small video of the members of the band waving to the camera, saying hi to her, and telling her to keep 'fighting the good fight. Huntress's rock!' One of them commented on how it was nice to see Weiss had finally made some friends, prompting the other three girls to ask Weiss how she knew them.

"I sang before I came to Beacon you know…I've opened for them a couple times." Yang just stared at Weiss, before slowly walking over to her. Mouth gaping, she stared blankly for an entire minute, making Weiss start to slowly back away, a little concerned about Yang's mental state. Yang leapt into action, hugging Weiss tightly, before grabbing Ruby and crushing both of their spines in her arms, ecstatic. She would have grabbed Blake as well, but the faunus had already placed herself on her bed and was deep in the next book, uncaring of the outside world.

* * *

Although the day had seemed so much better than the previous, Pyrrha's observant eye noted the subtle things. Like how Weiss would flinch away from Ruby every time she raised her voice, or how Weiss would space out randomly, a sad look upon her face. The amazon also noted how Ruby, when she thought no one was looking, would immediately begin curling up into herself, looking down and hiding her face from the others. At dinner that evening, as both teams were talking and carrying on like normal, Pyrrha kept a careful eye on both Ruby and Weiss. At one point, Ruby excused herself to the restroom, and seconds later, Pyrrha followed, making a comment about needing to go herself. Careful to track the red-head unseen, Pyrrha realized shortly she could probably dance naked and Ruby would not notice, so deep in thought.

Just as the amazon had thought, Ruby bypassed the restroom and headed straight into an empty classroom. Pyrrha stood by the door and carefully peered through the frosted glass window on the door, able to make out a vague red and black shape curled up in the corner. Pyrrha's face fell, before gently pushing the door open, hoping not to scare Ruby even as her ears picked up on the sound of sobbing.

"Ruby?" The sounds of sobbing instantly stopped. Pyrrha could see the bundle that was Ruby, wrapped up heavily in her cloak and sitting in the corner, lifting her head as she quickly wiped at her eyes. Ruby tried to throw a smile at Pyrrha, but her tear-streaked cheeks and red eyes made it rather useless, as the red-head quickly realized. Pyrrha quickly crossed the room and sat next to Ruby, before placing her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, what's wrong?" Ruby shook her head, refusing to speak, sniffling. Pyrrha sighed. "Ruby, come on. Talk to me. I'm your friend, right?" That got Ruby's attention, as she snapped her head back up and stared at Pyrrha with crazed eyes.

"But you shouldn't be! You shouldn't want to be around me!" Ruby's voice was panicky, unstable, even as she gripped her cloak tightly, nearly ripping it as she tried to wrap it around again.

Pyrrha cocked her head at Ruby, confused. "Why shouldn't I be?" Ruby just gaped at Pyrrha as though she had grown another head.

"Because! I was such a…such…such a _bitch!_ I hurt people for no reason! Ok maybe Cardin deserved some of it, but not Jaune! Not Nora, not Blake, not Yang…and especially not Weiss. I can see it, Weiss hates me. She keeps flinching, she's scared of me!" Pyrrha winced slightly, having hoped Ruby hadn't noticed the flinching too. She shook her head before stretching her arm across Ruby's shoulders, pulling her into a side-hug.

"I highly doubt Weiss hates you. I don't think she'd be sitting there holding your hand and cuddling with you if she did."

Ruby sniffled again. "Then why does she flinch huh? Why is she scared of me?!" Ruby couldn't hold her tears in anymore, and began sobbing once more. Pyrrha looked on helplessly, not sure what she could do. Ruby seemed utterly convinced, and it didn't feel like she would listen to the amazon at all.

"You know Ruby, there is someone else here who knows how you feel?" Ruby looked back up at the older girl, confused. "Mr. Silva is the one who told us about how the Goliath was going to affect you. And he told us what would happen, because it happened to him. He even showed us the scar he got from it. Maybe you should talk to him?" Pyrrha didn't even give Ruby a chance to argue, getting to her feet and pulling the younger girl up with her. Holding both of Ruby's hands in her own, she waited for Ruby's response. Tearfully, the younger girl nodded silently.

Pyrrha walked Ruby to the door, carefully standing close to her. "I'll tell the others you went to the library to get a bit of studying done, ok?"

Ruby thought about it, before shaking her head no. "No…don't lie for me. Just tell them the truth, and that I'll be back later." Pyrrha gave a slight nod of her head, before smiling encouragingly. Gently shooing the leader of team RWBY in the general direction of Azure's office, she waited until Ruby had turned the corner of the hallway before spinning on her heel and heading back to the cafeteria.

* * *

Ruby knocked softly on Azure's door, her cloak still wrapped fairly tightly around her. A muffled 'come in' sounded, and she opened the door to see Azure at his desk, looking at something on his scroll. Looking up and meeting Ruby's eyes, Azure gestured for Ruby to sit.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. Guess they told you, huh?" Ruby kept her cloak wrapped around her, snuggling deep into it like a child into a blanket. Her eyes the only things really visible, Ruby nodded silently. "Well…what did you want to know?" Ruby looked down, clearly struggling.

"When…when is it going to stop…when will it end?"

"A better question to ask Ruby, is when will you forgive yourself?"

Ruby looked up and met his eyes again. "When did you?"

Azure made a noncommittal sound, before shrugging. "Honestly? I hadn't. Not until yesterday. Not until I heard about what happened in the cafeteria." Ruby just blinked at Azure, confused. Azure leaned forward on his desk, resting his elbows on it as he folded his hands in front of him. "Ruby, you are fifteen. Still finding your way in the world, still growing, still seeking your future. But you are also one of the bravest and kindest students here in this school. Yet what happened showed me that even the kindest person can be driven beyond the brink, when their very soul is in jeopardy. If even you, perhaps the person in this school with the brightest soul, can be driven to such places…well, maybe it's time both of us forgave ourselves." Ruby flushed slightly at the praise, but still looked uncertain.

"I-I still don't know if I can."

"It's only been a day Ruby. No one expects you to shake it off so quickly. What I will suggest you do however, is you find something to help you occupy your time."

"What do you mean?"

Azure smiled softly at Ruby. "Did you know Glynda is a painter?" Ruby jerked her head back slightly, confused not only by the abrupt change in topic, but by the thought of Glynda Goodwitch painting. Azure nodded. "A very good one, in fact. Fully three quarters of all the art in this school were painted by her. She does it all by hand, no Dust, no Semblance. Just herself, an easel, and some paints." Azure pointed at each of the paintings on his walls. "All her."

"But, what does that have to do with me?"

Azure wagged his finger at Ruby. "You've seen what sort of things Bartholomew gets up to in his spare time. He spends days on end working on new Dust applications, and life-saving techniques for huntresses and huntsmen." Leaning back in his chair, Azure crossed his arms over his chest as he continued, lifting one hand to gesture as he spoke. "Every year around Christmas, Professor Port takes up a collection from the other teachers. Then, he buys as many gifts as he can afford with his own money and what the other teachers can donate, dresses up as Santa, and hands them out to struggling families and the children at the orphanages around the city. Some years he does it multiple times, not caring if it's Christmas season or not. Professor Peach volunteers at a soup kitchen every weekend without fail." Azure grabbed up the mug he had on the desk and took a sip, before continuing, his eyes looking off into the distance.

"Ruby, hunters are weapons. We exist to protect the world from the darkness of the Grimm, and sometimes even from our fellow man. But we understand that you can't just protect the body. You have to protect the soul too…not only our fellow man, but our own. You have to give your soul a chance to shine through, to do something that makes us feel alive. Not just fighting…something else. So find a passion Ruby, find something you can dedicate yourself to besides hunting. Isn't there something you enjoy doing other than hunting?" Ruby thought for a second, her grip on her cloak loosening somewhat. She swept her eyes across the room as she thought, before she noticed a sign taped to the wall next to the older man's desk. Squinting as she read the text on it, her eyes widened suddenly as she thought of something. A second later her face fell as she mumbled.

"Umm, yeah. But I don't know if it's that good. It doesn't help anyone or anything."

"It doesn't need to Ruby. As long as it makes you happy, and gives you a chance to show your passion, it's what you should do. Give it a shot. You'd be amazed what a difference it makes." Ruby looked down, before taking a deep breath, and getting to her feet.

"Thanks. I'm going to try something."

Azure smiled at Ruby, before reaching into the pile of papers on his desk. Grabbing up a pamphlet, he handed her it. At her confused look, he shrugged. "I saw you looking at the poster." Ruby grinned sheepishly, before waving as she left the office. She looked down at the pamphlet in her hands. Written across the top in bold red letters were the words "Beacon Talent Show." Ruby straightened her shoulders, releasing her cloak fully and letting it swing behind her, before marching off to her dorm. She needed to get some sleep…she had to practice.

* * *

Weiss couldn't help but feel abandoned. For the past week it had been the same thing. Ruby would come back from classes, rush as fast as possible to finish her work, then disappear for hours on end. Weiss would finish her own work with her normal disciplined speed, and then lay in bed, trying to get her mind off the way her girlfriend suddenly seemed to be avoiding her. Ruby would come back, her hair still damp from a shower she had taken before appearing in the room, and would lay in bed besides Weiss, exhausted.

Weiss had tried confronting Ruby about it on the second night, asking her where she thought she was going.

"I'm practicing!"

"For what? What could you possibly be practicing for that takes every spare minute in the evenings?"

"Aww, Weiss, did you miss me?"

Weiss had colored at that suggestion, turning her nose up haughtily. "N-No, of course not you dunce! I just…well, I think you need to get more sleep and not be tiring yourself so much!"

Ruby had grinning brightly and hugged Weiss tightly. "Oh Weiss you're so _cute_! Don't worry, it's just for this week. You'll see." Weiss wanted to argue, wanted to keep pushing, but fear of Ruby's temper made her quiet down. She just hmphed quietly to herself, crossing her arms over her chest. Ruby's hug becoming gentler, the younger girl kissed Weiss on the forehead before pulling her towards bed. Weiss couldn't resist her touch and sighed, as she lay down with Ruby, letting sleep take her again.

* * *

"Remind me why we're here again?" Weiss complained, sitting cross armed in the auditorium of Beacon. Yang shrugged, taking another bite of the popcorn Blake was holding.

"Jaune and Pyrrha are competing, so we're here to support them!" Weiss didn't seem to think this was a good enough excuse, looking in askance at the stage. So far, none of the acts had impressed her, but she had a more pressing concern on her mind.

"Well then, why isn't Ruby here?"

Blake's response was measured and quiet, her nose buried in her book after the lackluster performance of the previous acts. "She said she had some essay to work on for her leadership class or something." Weiss's face fell slightly.

"She still should be here…" Weiss was _not_ pouting. Schnee's do not pout. Her internal argument about the expression on her face was interrupted by her catching the tail end of the announcement of the next act "…Nikos!" Looking up at the stage, Weiss saw Jaune and Pyrrha walking onto the stage. Jaune was in a perfectly tailored black suit, and Pyrrha was in a stunning strapless red dress that matched perfectly to her hair. The two of them stood side by side, holding each other's hands, before bowing at the audience. A moment later, the music began, and as one they leapt into action.

Weiss had seen dancers before, but this was a whole new level of skill. She wasn't even sure what kind of dancing it was. Elements of swing, ballroom, even jazz were incorporated into a dance that showcased exactly how easily the two of them could sync up with each other. A spin here, a leap there, an incredible throw into the air as Pyrrha flipped midair before being caught by Jaune, the audience's eyes were locked on the two of them as they danced magnificently. Even when they let go of each other and danced separately, they moved in perfect sync, elegant and graceful.

When the music had ended, Weiss found herself and the other two on their feet, clapping and cheering, Yang even throwing in a few whistles for good measure as the dancers took a bow, breathless but glowing with their effort. Jaune went beet red when Pyrrha kissed him on the cheek, the sounds of the cheering growing even louder at that. The two walked off the stage to a still applauding auditorium even as the announcer came back on stage. Weiss sat back down and looked over at the other two.

"Well, we saw them. And it's pretty obvious they will win, that was definitely the best act of the night. Can we go now?"

Blake had set her book aside and shook her head no. "Only one more act Weiss, may as well sit through it. We want to be here to cheer Pyrrha and Jaune when they win anyways, don't we?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, slumping back in her seat with her arms crossed. "Oh fine." Scowling, she looked up at the stage in time to see the last of the stage hands disappearing off to the side, a series of what looked like pads all over the stage. A set of uneven bars were placed directly in the middle, and hanging down from above was a mirrored set as well. Weiss raised an eyebrow, unsure of what this was supposed to be, even as the announcer, some second year student Weiss didn't know, took the stage once more.

"Time for one final act, ladies and gents! This will be an act to remember I'm sure, especially considering I don't know of anyone who's tried to do an aerial uneven bars act! Give a warm welcome for first year student Ruby Rose!" Weiss froze in her seat, unsure if she believed what she had just heard. But the sight of Ruby walking onto the stage with her cloak wrapped tightly around her forced her to face what she was seeing. Ruby stood in the center of the stage, looking visibly nervous, before letting go of her cloak. It slid to the floor, revealing the dark red leotard the red-head was wearing, along with white bandages wrapped carefully around her hands. Ruby bowed to the audience, before speaking up, her voice cracking slightly.

"I'm dedicating this performance to my partner, teammate, and best girlfriend ever, Weiss Schnee." Bowing once more, she took a few steps back to stand between the bars, hopping slightly as she shook her arms out. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, waiting for the music to start.

As the soft violin began playing, Weiss watched in awe as the younger girl leapt onto the first bar. Spinning about it, she began speeding up each rotation, switching hands and directions to the tune of the music. Flipping off the first one, she landed upside down on the lower bar, doing a split before twisting her waist around, nearly bending in half in a display of flexibility. Bending her arms, she threw herself up off the bar, flipping nearly upside down to land standing on the bar, legs bent slightly. Using her innate strength, she pushed off, flying up into the air to grab the hanging bar.

Ruby's movements fascinated Weiss, each one calculated and beautiful, flowing between the four bars on stage without a single second of hesitation. She bent and twisted herself into what looked like impossible forms, as she continued to spin about with such great speed the audience had trouble keeping up. At one point, Ruby began to use her semblance, rose petals softly falling as she'd leap between bars faster than the eye could see. Still swinging around them, still dancing on air, Ruby kept moving. Her speed began to pick the wind up, and as she spun the petals dropping from her semblance were being picked up, swirling around her as she flew. Weiss wasn't sure she'd ever seen anything more beautiful in her life.

As the song came to an end, Ruby did one last leap off the highest bar, bending backwards, seemingly to hang suspended in midair for one brief second, curling in on herself and completing one, two, three backflips before straightening out, falling the last few feet straight down. A brief flash of light came from below her feet as her aura absorbed the impact as Ruby bent her knees for the extra absorption as well, before standing up straight. Throwing her arms off to her side, palms upward, Ruby threw her head back, eyes closed, looking straight up as she held that pose.

The auditorium was silent as a tomb for one split second, before it erupted into thunderous cheers, everyone on their feet clapping enthusiastically. Shouts from Yang as she hugged Blake tight, so proud of her sister, calls from her other friends at Beacon, but Ruby was looking only for one person. When her eyes locked with Weiss's, she could see unshed tears in the heiress's eyes as she stared at Ruby, her hand in front of her mouth and eyes wide with shock. Weiss shook off the shock, before dashing up to the stage and leaping onto it next to Ruby. _This_ was her Ruby. This was the girl she fell in love with.

Weiss grabbed Ruby's face and kissed her full on the mouth, not caring about who was watching. The cheers went even louder as Yang began wolf whistling at the two of them. Weiss didn't care, the only thing she could feel was Ruby's arms around her and the faint taste of strawberries on the younger girl's lips. Breaking the kiss, Weiss could only stare into Ruby's silver eyes, as Ruby was trying to catch her breath. Weiss just hugged her tight, laying her head on Ruby's shoulder, smiling as she felt her own fears flutter away. The voice of the announcer interrupted her, as he came to stand beside the two of the girls, looking out into the crowd.

"Well, I wanted to try for some dramatic pauses before revealing the winner of this show, but I don't think it's much of a mystery, is it? Give it up once more for Ruby Rose, winner of this year's Beacon Talent show!" Even as the audience kept clapping, the young man handed Ruby a large trophy, topped with a glittering gold star. "However, let's not forget our runner ups, Jaune Arc and Pyrrha Nikos!" Gesturing to the side of the stage, Jaune and Pyrrha stepped out, Ruby moving out of their way so they could take center stage. A smaller trophy was handed to the pair, who smiled broadly at Ruby as she shrugged sheepishly. "One more round of applause for all our contestants here tonight though! Excellent work, all of you!" As the last of the applause began echoing through the chamber, Weiss just softly kissed Ruby's neck, whispering to her.

"I love you, Ruby."

Ruby squeezed Weiss tightly, kissing her head "I love you too, Weiss."


	19. Chapter 19

"Weiss, your third gesture in the second hand swap is too sharp. Try to make it less sharp. And you're applying your aura too firmly, you need to make it flow better. Ren, your aura is perfect, but you keep trying to force the gestures too hard, you need to make it softer. Blake, you got the gestures down, but your aura is spiking too much. Keep it level and stable." Azure spoke softly as he walked between the three students, each standing over a cot. On the cot, their partners lay, bored out of their minds. Pyrrha and Jaune were sitting at the desks, having decided to come along to watch the lesson, but finding themselves as bored as those laying down.

"We've been at this for three days!" Weiss whined.

"Yes, and the actual class spends three weeks on this technique alone. I told you it would be difficult and time consuming. What else do you expect? You are tricking a body's perception of time. It's not something you should expect to get instantly. You're all doing much better than most students training on this anyways…took me a week to get where you three are. So be patient guys."

"Easy for you to say, you're not lying here doing nothing!" came Yang's complaining voice as she lay before Blake. Azure chuckled as Blake frowned down at Yang.

"Yes yes, it's quite boring for the one on the table, I know. But we need someone here for them to try it on. It only works on living beings, and you three were the most readily available. At least it's not one of the techniques that can cause explosive decompression if performed improperly. That would be messy." Ruby squeaked in fear, as Yang and Nora stared at Azure with wide eyes. The room was dead silent after his proclamation, until his neutral expression cracked, and he began laughing. "Oh you should have seen your faces! That was priceless. Don't worry, no such technique will be taught today."

Blake raised an eyebrow at him. "But it exists?"

Azure looked at Blake disbelievingly. "Well of course it does. If you think a little explosive decompression is scary, you should see what Glynda can do with gravitational techniques." Azure shook his head, before clapping his hands once. "Anyways, back to the lesson! Ok, let's start at step one for now…Dust, as we all know, is a naturally occurring substance that humanity has learnt to use for energy propulsion. Also, when combined with the Aura of an exceptional individual, Dust can be used to control the forces of nature itself, thusly giving it its other name, 'Nature's Wrath'. Do you know why that works?"

"Dust provided a conduit for our Aura's to take control over natural phenomena, instead of only what a hunter's Semblance gives them." Weiss rattled off immediately, Azure nodding in her direction.

"Precisely. The reason we utilize gestures and stances is to correctly direct the force of our Aura. Aura must flow very precisely to use techniques as advanced as this. Many people consider time like a river, ever flowing in one direction. This is true. However, the human mind and body can be made to perceive time differently. Ruby for example, due to her semblance, perceives things much faster than the ordinary person. She thinks, acts, and moves quicker, often leading to accusations of hyper activeness, when in fact it's merely how she was made." Weiss looked away from Ruby sheepishly, while Ruby smiled broadly. "Advanced Dust users can use Dust to give them a boost similar to that temporarily…I believe Weiss can use one of her glyphs to do exactly that." Blake and Weiss nodded along, remembering the fight against Roman in the Paladin mech. Azure gestured to their partners, lying on the cots before them.

"This technique is not unlike those, only instead of making the body and mind perceive time faster, you are making it perceive time much, much slower. The duration of the effect is determined both by the amount of Dust used, the quality of the Dust, and your own mastery of Aura. Dust quality is not something you should ever have to worry about, as hunters only use the highest quality, but amount and your own Aura are things you must always keep in mind when using this technique. Now, let's try another set. Remember what I told you three, flow with the gestures. Let the transition be seamless, as your Aura follows suit."

Seconds later, Nora's breathing went silent as she froze in place, her body glowing lightly golden for a brief second as the clock appeared over her chest. Azure clapped enthusiastically. "Well done Ren! Excellent, excellent work!" The other students in the room joined in the applause, making Ren look away shyly as Nora came out of it, shaking her head in confusion. Yang looked over at Nora.

"Hey, what's it like?"

Nora thought for a second before shrugging. "I don't really know. Didn't really notice anything."

Before Yang could query her further, Azure stepped in. "Good job Ren. Now, try again, but try to make it hold longer. You only got a few seconds on it that time. Blake, you nearly had it, just a bit too much force on your Aura in the third movement. Weiss, the only thing you did wrong was clipping the last gesture. Try again girls, you can do this."

It took twenty minutes and another two attempts, but both Weiss and Blake managed to suspend Yang and Ruby. Azure was incredibly enthused, effusively congratulating all three of them. "By Dust the three of you are incredible! I haven't seen such-"Azure's praise was interrupted by his scroll going off, a pinging sound, reminding him of the alarm he had set. "Whoa, but we're running out of time. You got an assembly to get to, and you don't want to miss this one."

Pyrrha raised her hand before speaking. "What's this assembly for, anyways?"

Azure wagged his finger at the amazon. "You'll find out in five minutes. Now, hurry up and get down there." Grumbling amongst themselves, teams JNPR and RWBY vacated the classroom, heading down to the entrance hall they had listened to that speech from Ozpin on their first day at Beacon.

* * *

Ozpin took the stage, pushing his glasses up on his nose slightly as he leaned forward into the microphone. "I'm quite certain you all are wondering why I've called you here today. Huntsman and Huntresses are noble warriors, protectors of those who cannot protect themselves from the depredations of the Grimm, and other evil beings that seek to harm us. As such, a certain degree of danger is to be expected, even anticipated whenever hunter's leave on missions. Sometimes however, we are thrown into situations far beyond our mission parameters, or ability. A lesser group may falter and fall to this, but today, we honor those who went above and beyond the call of duty in their mission. As your name is called, please join me on the stage. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren." Gesturing grandly at the assembled members of the two teams, Ozpin waited patiently for them to join him on the stage. Clearing his throat, he began speaking once more in a measured tone.

"These eight hunters took on a mission far beyond their years at this school, and proceeded to perform exemplary feats that full-fledged hunters would have had difficulty doing. They adapted to changing parameters, and showed great courage that did not falter, not flag in the face of adversity. As such, they shall be honored." Ozpin made one more grand gesture to the wall above the large double doors leading into the Entrance Hall, where lights shown upon a large cloth fluttering slightly over the wall. A second after the lights clicked on to reveal the cloth, it fell down, revealing its contents.

A massive mural, painted in intricate detail, displaying the eight students in mid-combat against the Goliath's and the associated Grimm hordes. Directly in the center, Jaune was standing, Crocea Mors in mid-swing towards a Beowulf. Straight above him, Ruby's cloak billowed behind her as she swept through the air, Crescent Rose slicing through the fell feathers of a Nevermore, each petal from her semblance painstakingly detailed. Pyrrha was standing upon the tusk of the Goliath, Milo screaming straight towards the hateful eye of the massive Grimm, as Weiss depicted in the middle of her Glyph creation, Myrtenaster in hand, holding the creature's trunk in place. Nora was leaping through the air, manic grin perfectly portrayed on her face as she flew towards the black head of a Tajitu, Magnhild cocked and ready, even as flames were burning beneath her from Yang's semblance. Yang was portrayed with her fist flashing through the air, eyes burning red as the unfortunate Ursa in her fist's path was flying away from the impact of Ember Celica. Ren was mid-air as well, leaping over the claw of a Deathstalker, Stormflower sending a rain of bullets upon the hapless scorpion Grimm, even as Blake was shown rebounding off a shadow clone, Gambol Shroud depicted in the process of slashing through the Deathstalker's tail.

Ruby was jumping for joy, hopping up and down in glee with Nora. Yang was hugging Blake tight, the cat faunus struggling to breath, but a brilliant smile still across her face. Weiss had her hands in front of her face, shocked, as Pyrrha had her arms around Jaune's waist, laying her head on his shoulder and smiling so widely her face hurt. Ren was just blinking, in mild shock, before a subdued smile spread across his face, as Jaune blushed wildly. Ozpin bowed before the members of team RWBY and JNPR, before sharing a glance with Goodwitch. Ruby noticed the tiny, proud smile on Glynda's face, and thought back to what Azure had mentioned about her painting skills. Gaping at the older woman, Goodwitch noted Ruby's gaze and nodded ever so slightly, before placing her finger before her mouth in a 'shush' motion, giving Ruby a wink. Ruby just squealed to herself again, before joining her friends in celebration once more.

* * *

Weiss took a deep breath as she closed the dorm room door behind her. She was nervous, really nervous, but she really wanted this. And considering how Ruby acted when they were together, she was pretty sure Ruby did too. Now, she just had to say something. Weiss cleared her throat, getting the attention of the red-head currently seated at her desk, casually browsing the net on her scroll.

"So, Ruby."

"Yeah?" Ruby asked, cocking her head in confusion at Weiss's tone.

"Yang and Blake are out on a date."

"Yeah?" Ruby was still confused. Weiss refused to meet her eyes, looking down at the ground and gently scuffing her foot on the floor.

"And they said something about a hotel room, and not to expect them back tonight."

"…yeah?" Ruby was lost at this point, not sure what else to say. Weiss's eye twitched as she wondered what it would take to get the hint across to Ruby.

"Well, I was wondering if we could maybe, possibly, maybe….sleep together?"

"But we sleep together every night."

Weiss face palmed. She could not believe how dense this girl was sometimes. That was it! "I want to have sex with you!" Weiss nearly shouted, before her eyes went wide as she realized what she had just blurted out. Moaning to herself in embarrassment, Weiss just fell face first onto her bed, burying her head in her pillow and refusing to meet Ruby's eyes. Weiss vaguely heard Ruby's giggle, before a brief wind stirred the air, making Weiss's hair fly up in the air for a moment. Confused, Weiss lifted her head off the pillow only to freeze in place at the sight of a _very_ naked Ruby standing by the side of her bed, hip cocked to the side, smirk placed firmly on her face. Weiss wasn't sure she remembered how to breathe, a strange half choked squeak sounding from her throat. Ruby was completely naked, and Weiss wasn't sure if her heart was going to be able to stand that. She felt her heartbeat quicken, faster and faster, as her entire body felt like it was on fire. Ruby was, oh Dust, was Ruby leaning down towards her? The red-head put her smirking face right next to Weiss's, her voice practically dripping with sensuality.

"As you wish." Ruby sealed her lips to Weiss's, completely at ease with being nude next to Weiss, even as the heiress melted into the kiss. Wait, no, they had to do this _right!_ Weiss tried to gently push Ruby back, but she underestimated how much force she used. Ruby's head flew back to crack into the hanging edge of her bed, before grabbing the back of her head and yelping. _"_ OWIE!" Ruby tenderly rubbed the bruise on the back of her head, before pouting at Weiss. "What was that for?" Weiss shot to her feet, head upright as she tried to control the blush scattered across her face when she noticed how every movement Ruby made did very, _very_ interesting things to her chest. Weiss gulped, before shaking her head to clear it.

"We have to do this right, Ruby! So, you lay down. On your back. Hands at your sides."

Ruby just blinked at Weiss. "Weiss, do you even know what you're doing?"

Weiss scoffed, looking affronted. "Of course I do, I studied!"

Weiss's proud stance faltered as she noticed the rather unamused look Ruby was giving her. "…you studied?"

Weiss nodded enthusiastically, before grabbing up the medical biology textbook she had lying on the desk, and holding it out to Ruby. "Of course I studied! I even bookmarked the important chapters!" Ruby couldn't help it, her curiosity demanded she flip to what Weiss had dubbed _'important'_ chapters. Stopping on the first bookmark, Ruby just slowly lifted her head from the book to look at Weiss.

"Why do you have mitosis bookmarked?"

Weiss seemed confused by the question. "What better way to start than at the beginning?" Ruby blinked, trying desperately to believe that Weiss was pulling her leg, but…nope. The heiress looked deadly serious. Ruby slowly closed the book, before placing it on the desk once more. Weiss wasn't sure how it happened, but in a flurry of rose petals, she found herself in Ruby's arms once more, the younger girl staring down into the heiress's ice blue eyes. She found her voice, even as her body thrilled to Ruby's touch, her brain ever so kindly reminding her that only a very thin layer of clothing separated her and Ruby right now. "R-Ruby?" Ruby's eyes were molten steel, darkened gray as lust clouded over them.

"Weiss….fuck the book. You're supposed to be fucking me." Weiss was pretty sure her mind was officially broken. Wow. Ruby seldom, if ever cursed, and the way she said that. Weiss's mouth was open, gaping as she tried to piece together some response, but every word she knew was frozen in her throat, unable to progress. Ruby calling her name softly brought her attention back to earth, seeing the younger girl trying to get her attention. "Weiss?" Weiss nodded, mouth dry, not trusting herself to speak. "Can I take off your clothes?" The heiress nodded instantly, not even considering saying no. She really had no idea what was happening, but at this point she didn't care, she just wanted Ruby.

Ruby's speed was as adept at undressing Weiss as it was at undressing herself it seemed, since the heiress felt a sudden gust of air as she scent of roses filled her nose, before looking down to notice her own nudity. She tried to cover herself, but Ruby was already there, holding her, their skin touching softly. Weiss had no idea what this aching feeling between her legs was, but she latched into Ruby, burying her burning face in the younger girl's shoulder as she tried to just enjoy the feeling, even as half of her mind rebelled at the thought of her being utterly nude in front of Ruby. Ruby kissed her neck, making her shiver.

"Let's lay down," was the only thing Ruby whispered in her ear, guiding Weiss over to the bed. When she let Weiss go so the heiress could lay down, the older girl shivered slightly at the cold now that she had separated from Ruby's warm embrace. Ruby wasted no time in climbing up on top of Weiss, straddling her waist and looking down at her. Ruby smiled softly at Weiss, kissing her on the nose, before her expression turned devious. That damnable smirk came back onto her face, making Weiss feel torn between closing her eyes to stop the effect that expression had on her, and just kissing Ruby senseless. It wasn't a difficult decision, as she reached up and yanked Ruby's head down, mashing their lips together. She slid her tongue along the younger girl's lips, enjoying how quickly Ruby let her in, loving the faint taste of strawberries.

As they began to run out of breath, Ruby broke the kiss, looking down at the heiress. Softly, she spoke. "So, is it ok? If we go farther?" Weiss glared at Ruby, finally feeling like she could speak again.

"Of course it's ok, dunce! I said I wanted this, didn't I? Now, go on and…do the thing." Weiss turned her head away at the end of her sentence in embarrassment. Ruby giggled at Weiss, nuzzling her neck.

"Weiss you're so _cute!_ " Weiss just grumbled under her breath. Ruby's giggles faded, a smoldering look crossing her face as she looked down at the lithe heiress beneath her. Softly, Ruby nibbled on Weiss's neck, kissing down to her collarbone. She gave into temptation and _bit_ down on it, loving the breathy moan that escaped Weiss's mouth, before licking softly over the bite mark. She swept both her hands up Weiss's firm, flat stomach, carefully cradling the heiress's breasts in both hands as Ruby started nipping at Weiss's neck, taking care not to leave marks she knew the heiress would scold her for.

Weiss had never felt like this, had no idea being touched like that by someone you loved would feel so good. She arched her back, pushing her chest into Ruby's hands, whimpering slightly. Ruby slid down her chest to run her tongue firmly over Weiss's nipple, making the heiress's eyes roll back in her head as she gasped. Ruby latched on, suckling lightly, as her other hand trailed down Weiss's stomach. Slowly, Ruby let her hand follow the curve of Weiss's hip to her inner thigh, stroking along the sensitive skin as Weiss wrapped her arms around the younger girl's shoulders, gripping onto them tightly. Her hands curled into claws when Ruby quickly swept her hand up and over the heiress's center, sending sparks shooting up Weiss's spine. Ruby released Weiss's nipple, pausing for a moment until Weiss opened dazed eyes and looked down to meet hers.

Ruby winked at Weiss, before sliding herself down her body until her head was resting just above the juncture between Weiss's legs. The older girl looked down at Ruby, wide-eyed, even as Ruby lowered herself down and took a tentative lick. The effect on Weiss was electric, like flipping on a switch as she moaned out loud, uncaring who heard. Ruby took a moment to savor the sound, before dipping back down and gently licking over Weiss's clitoris. The hands previously resting on Ruby's shoulders fell off, one tangling itself in Ruby's hair as the other gripped the bedsheets, Weiss practically whimpering as her eyes closed.

Ruby took her time stirring sensations in Weiss, moving at a slow, even pace. She trailed her fingertips over the edges of Weiss's center, even as she licked every so often upon the button at the top, enjoying the way Weiss kept twitching. It wasn't until she heard the whisper that she stopped, looking up to see unfocused icy eyes staring down at her, her lips moving and forming a whispered ' _please'_. Ruby decided to end the torment, and let two of her fingers slide inside, even as she encased Weiss's clit in her mouth and sucked softly. Weiss lost it, thrashing on the bed, practically sobbing as she came, every muscle in her body tensing, before she fell back onto the bed, spent.

Ruby smiled proudly to herself, before a growl sounded from the pale girl below her. Ruby was shoved onto her back by the heiress, who clambered over on top of the red-head and stared down at her. Her long hair fell down, curtaining the two of them in it, before she dived down and bit softly on Ruby's ear. Ruby gasped, having forgotten how sensitive that spot was, even as goosebumps erupted over her skin. Weiss looked down at Ruby, eyes slightly crazed, before gulping in air.

"Is…is this ok?" Ruby nodded, smiling softly at Weiss. She reached up and pulled Weiss's head down, kissing her gently, letting Weiss take control of the kiss. Weiss dominated it, turning the kiss from something soft into searing heat, sending a spike of arousal through both girls. Weiss broke the kiss, before nipping down along Ruby's throat, looking down at Ruby's chest. She blushed lightly, but kissed down Ruby's chest regardless, straight between her breasts, enjoying the slight salty taste of sweat on her skin. Weiss licked her suddenly dry lips, before letting her slender fingers slide around Ruby's breast. Noticing the way Ruby sucked in a deep breath, the heiress looked up at Ruby, wondering if she had done wrong. The sight of Ruby panting, eyes closed in obvious pleasure emboldened the heiress. She let her nails graze over the younger girl's nipples, enjoying as Ruby squirmed beneath her.

"Weisssssssss…" came the younger girl's hiss, making Weiss cock an eyebrow at Ruby.

"Yes?" came the heiress's somehow arrogantly amused reply. Ruby swallowed to clear her suddenly dry throat, before jolting at the heiress flicked her nipple again.

"Don't tease me!" Ruby's demanding tone was cut short when Weiss licked her nipple, making the red-head glare at the heiress. Weiss shrugged, cocky half smile still present.

"Ok, princess," was the heiress's mocking reply, before she let her hand rest between Ruby's legs. Confident as she sounded, she still wasn't really sure what she was doing, so she just tried to touch Ruby in the same place Ruby had touched her. It seemed to be working, if the way Ruby began twisting her hips back and forth was any indication. Weiss's unsure hands were working wonders on Ruby's already overloaded senses, the younger girl biting her own lip as she tried to contain her moans. When Weiss found her clitoris and stroked it, all bets were off, Ruby grabbing a pillow and slamming it over her face to hide her scream as she felt her spine snap into a rigid position, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she tried to catch her breath. She grabbed Weiss's still moving arm with an unsteady hand, pushing it away gently, the stimulation too much.

Throwing the pillow off her face, Ruby looked into the worried eyes of Weiss. Smiling softly at her, Ruby pulled her arm gently towards her. The heiress took the hint, sliding onto the bed at Ruby's side, looking at her with unsure eyes. Ruby kissed her forehead.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Weiss snuggled into Ruby's shoulder, her voice coming out muffled. "Did…did you like it?"

"Are you kidding? That was _amazing_! Was it ok for you?"

Weiss nodded exuberantly, trying to keep her embarrassed face hidden. Ruby peered around, before her eyes landed on the object she sought. She leaned up, Weiss's upper body following her as the heiress refused to let go. Ruby grabbed the edge of the blanket and swept it up to cover the two girls, pulling it up to her chin. The blanket nearly covered all of Weiss, only the top of her head visible. This didn't seem to bother the heiress one bit, as she just snuggled closer, squeezing Ruby's midsection tightly as the younger girl let one arm rest over Weiss's shoulder, gently stroking the heiress's snow white hair. Ruby kissed Weiss's head. "I love you, ice queen." Weiss let out a half-snort.

"I love you too, dolt." The two girls let sleep overtake them, safe in each other's arms.

* * *

Azure leaned against Ozpin's desk, one leg crossed over the other, foot tapping restlessly. He sighed heavily, before looking down at the headmaster, who was sitting in his chair with an unusually glum expression on his face. "We're out of leads, Ozpin."

Ozpin nodded. "It does appear that way." He leaned back in his chair, taking his mug in his hands and sipping from it, his expression shifting to a carefully neutral one. "This is unacceptable. My student's lives were put in danger. I refuse to let this matter go." Azure glanced down at Ozpin, well aware that neutrality was one of the most dangerous expressions on the face of the normally expressive headmaster.

"Did Schnee's men find anything?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No. He said nothing was left in the ruins according to his men."

Azure scoffed. "And you trust anything that bastard says?"

Ozpin chuckled. "If it has to do with his precious Dust? I do. At the very least, he cares about that. He's already importuning the Vale Council to help him retake the mine. However, they won't without a signed declaration from me that the area is safe once more…I have him in hand."

Azure laughed softly, before letting his laughter trail off as a contemplative look came over his face. "You know, his men only know how to look for Dust related things. A hunter would be much better at finding anything out of the ordinary."

Ozpin shrugged. "We have none available at this time." Azure just grinned down at the headmaster, who quirked an eyebrow at him, knowing exactly what the younger man was thinking.

"If I let you go out on a solo mission, you realize your teammates will kill me, then you, then revive us both to kill us again, right?" Azure laughed nervously, running his hand through his hair as he looked away.

"What they don't know won't hurt us," came the younger man's shifty reply. Ozpin narrowed his eyes at Azure.

"Fine, fine. Go. But if they find out, it's on your head. I refuse to be blamed for this."

Azure smirked, gave a quick salute, and started walking towards the office door. "Yeah yeah, got it. I'll be back as soon as I can. I won't look for trouble, just looking for answers." Ozpin just waved a hand in dismissal as the younger man left the room, before sighing as he took his mug to the window, staring out at the cloudy sky.

"Hmm. Looks like rain."


	20. Chapter 20

The girls of team RWBY chattered happily as they walked towards the main bridge headed into Beacon from the airport. Rather, Ruby chattered, Yang made bad puns, Blake rolled her eyes, and Weiss scolded, but such was the dynamic of team RWBY. The four teens stopped when they saw the limping figure of Azure headed towards the bridge from the other direction, head down, covered in what looked like Dust, and duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He looked up, noticing them, giving an exhausted smile in greeting at the four.

"Hey girls. Off to Vale?"

Yang punched him in the shoulder, grinning. "Hey! Actually, we were just coming back! Where ya been? Been looking for my sparring partner all week!"

Azure shrugged, small clouds of Dust coming off him and floating into the air. "Was checking out the remains of the village. We ran out of leads on the person who swapped the reports, so we wanted to see if we could find anything to explain why the Grimm were headed that way in the first place." The Dust that had floated off him neared Ruby's face, making her twitch her nose.

"Well? Did you find anything?" Weiss's sharp voice sounded as she crossed her arms over her chest. Azure shrugged again.

"I think I did, but need Bartholomew to look it over first. Don't worry, won't keep you in the dark. How about you grab team JNPR and meet me in Ozpin's office after dinner this evening? I can give my report to all of you." Ruby's nose twitched again as she squinted her eyes, shaking her head slightly. Blake cocked her head to the side at Azure.

"Wait, didn't you say your team told you not to go on solo missions?"

Azure looked shiftily off to the side, giving an embarrassed grin. "Umm…let's just keep this mission between us, ok?" Blake gave him a deadpan look, eyebrow raised, even as her sensitive ears caught a small hitching sound in Ruby's breath. Looking at her leader, she saw the way Ruby was rubbing her nose, eyes squinting. Following Blake's gaze, Weiss's head snapped to share a horrified look with Blake, before both the heiress and the faunus dived to the side as Ruby took a massive inhale. Yang and Azure just glanced at the two girls, before a loud explosion echoed through the courtyard. Coughing and waving her hand in front of her face, Yang just blinked at the sight of Azure, covered head to toe in soot, with Ruby sheepishly rubbing her nose. Azure face palmed and sighed, rubbing his chin.

"Ok. Yeah. For my own safety, I'm going to go get a shower before I talk to Bartholomew. Like I said, meet in Ozpin's office after dinner, say seven. Plenty of time. I'll talk to you girls later…for now, I have an appointment with a shower, a change of clothes, and preferably something softer than a cave floor." Azure gave a half wave as he strode off into the building.

* * *

The members of teams JNPR and RWBY were standing in front of Ozpin's office, hearing muffled voices beyond. Ruby knocked on the door softly, hearing the voices taper off as the sound of rapid footsteps headed towards the door. The green haired Professor Oobleck opened the door, dressed in a white lab coat, with some sort of black grease like stain covering the right arm of it. He smiled at the gathered students, greeting them in his normal rapid paced fashion.

"Ah, good, you've arrived! Come in, come in, this device is absolutely _fascinating_!" Stepping to the side, he gestured for the teens to enter. In the center of the room sat a large table, covered in a multitude of strange tools, gathered around the remains of what appeared to once be a small black box. Azure and Glynda were standing on the one end of the table, discussing something in low voices, occasionally gesturing towards the box, as Ozpin was seated at the other end of the table, holding a black gear in one hand and eyeing it closely. Ruby, mechanical dork that she was, dashed over in a burst of petals, oohing and aahing over the scattered parts. Weiss rolled her eyes at her girlfriend and scoffed, before following the rest of the group to the table to peer at the box and associated parts. Azure looked up as they entered, nudging Glynda to get her attention. The blonde woman pushed her glasses up on her nose before sighing. Oobleck gestured enthusiastically to the table.

"This, my students, is the reason the Goliath's were heading towards the village. As far as we can surmise, it sent seismic vibrations into the earth. Goliath's, not unlike the elephant's they resemble, can communicate over long distances through seismic communication. They generate sounds that create waves in the ground, and can sense them through their feet and legs. This box was creating some sort of seismic wave, which drew the Goliath's to the village. From what Azure tells me of where it was located, it was very deep in the mine, far deeper than the miners had gone."

Azure nodded. "Yeah, no one would have noticed it where it was placed. It was spared the destruction of the Goliath's rampage simply because it was so deep. But the device must have had some sort of deactivation timer on it, because it wasn't running when I got there, even though it was undamaged. Schnee's men aren't good at noticing things that don't have to do with Dust." Ruby noted the way Weiss stiffened at the mention of her father, even as Azure continued on. "However, I'm more concerned about how this was created…this takes a knowledge of Goliath biology few have. Hell, I didn't know they communicated that way until Bart told me."

Oobleck pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Yes, it is a little known fact. I could count on one hand the number of books that mention it. It's never been considered of much import to hunters, as we couldn't read the waves nor could we create them ourselves."

Ozpin quiet voice sounded out. "I would say the more pressing question is what was the point in this? The mine, while good sized, was not one of the major mines that the SDC relies on. The village was small, mostly populated by miners and their families. It was not a vital target, yet it was clearly targeted for a reason." Blake shuffled nervously, before raising her hand as she kept her eyes firmly on the ground. Ozpin gestured to the dark-haired girl. "Come come, Blake. This is an open forum, we brought you here for a reason. Speak your mind." Blake swallowed, taking comfort in Yang's hand which reached down and took hers.

"The White Fang would often test new explosives and devices on a smaller scale, sort of a proof of concept thing."

Oobleck made a contemplative sound. "Yes, it is not unusual for terrorist organizations to do such a thing." Yang squeezed Blake's hand tightly as the faunus flinched when Oobleck said 'terrorist'. Oobleck continued as if he hadn't noticed. "This must therefore have been some sort of test. Which begs the question-"

"What is the primary target?" Glynda finished. A loud cracking noise startled the assembled group, all turning to see Ozpin sitting, staring blankly into the distance, even as he held the gear that had snapped in two in his hand. Every person in the room had the sudden sensation of being locked in a cage with a dangerous predator, a nearly palpable feeling of rage emanating from the quiet older man.

"A test. Someone put my student's lives in danger for a test." Ozpin's voice was quiet, dangerous, sending a shiver through the spines of the others in the room. "They destroyed a village for a test. Nearly caused the deaths of hundreds of people. Badly wounded my students." The room kept silent, as Ozpin slowly picked up his mug and sipped from it, before closing his eyes and sighing deeply. The tension was shattered by Ozpin's scroll, ringing on his desk. Raising an eyebrow, he began to get up out of the seat he was in, but Glynda simply reached over and grabbed it for him, handing it to him. He smiled at her, before looking down in confusion at his scroll. Tapping the answer button, a woman's voice sounded out.

"Headmaster! Good to hear from you!"

"Yes Magenta, what can I do for you?"

Azure's eyes widened comically, gulping as Magenta's voice turned sugary sweet. "Oh, nothing much. Is my darling leader there?" Azure quickly waved his hands no in front of his face as Ozpin smirked at him.

"Why yes, yes he is."

Magenta's voice rang out cheerily. "Oh good. Could you be so kind as to hand me to him? I and his sisters have something important to talk to him about." Ozpin chuckled even as he tossed the scroll at Azure, who grabbed at it, fumbling for a second, shooting a betrayed glare at Ozpin, before clearing his throat nervously.

"Um, hey Maggie!"

The voice on the phone continued its rather sweet tone. "Why my darling brother! It's so good to hear from you, with how you haven't answered your scroll in a week? Why, oh why, may I ask is that? Could it maybe be because you went out on a solo mission, without mentioning it to your dearest beloved sisters?"

Azure placed his hand over the speaker, looking out over the group and wincing slightly. "Umm…I'll be right back." He dashed out the room with the scroll, the slamming of the door, muffling but not silencing the series of yelled curses and strict admonishments. The rest of the room shared a quick look, teams RWBY and JNPR giggling, as Glynda rolled her eyes. Oobleck had gone back to studying the parts of the device, a wry grin on his face, as Ozpin just chuckled quietly. His laughter faded as he studied the broken gear in his hand, an uncertain expression on his face.

"The real target is Vale. It's the only sensible target." All eyes turned to Jaune at his calm pronouncement, his eyes staring at the box on the table. Glynda scoffed.

"That's preposterous. Even is a hundred Goliath's appeared, they couldn't break into the city."

Ruby's voice rang out meekly. "But, the Grimm already did." Oobleck nodded along.

"Yes, yes, the underground tunnels from Mountain Glenn. But we already took measures to prevent them from doing that again."

"This assumes they do not have a backup plan." Ren pointed out. Ozpin shook his head and stood up, clasping his hands behind his back.

"We simply do not have enough information to go off at this time. However, I have noted increasing reports of Goliath's heading towards outlying villages around Vale. Perhaps more of these devices exist."

Ruby perked up, eyes shimmering in excitement. "Does this mean you're sending us out to fight them again?!" Everyone stared at the red-head, mouths gaping open in incredulousness. Weiss resolved the issue for all of them by slapping the red-head upside the back of her head, making Ruby yelp and cover the back of her head as she glared at Weiss. "What was that for?"

"You dunce, you just got over being _impaled by a Goliath!_ You are never fighting one of those again if I have anything to say about it!"

Yang nudged her little sister, her mischievous grin stretching across her face. "Whipped already, eh little sis?"

Weiss colored slightly as Ruby shifted her glare to Yang. "Yaaaaaannng!" the red-head whined, shoving Yang away. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pouted, ignoring the muffled chuckles coming from Blake and team JNPR. Glynda merely rolled her eyes, as the other two men shared a humored glance between themselves. Ozpin took up his mug and took a sip, staring off into the distance for a few moments before turning to the assembled teams.

"Unfortunately, that's all I can tell you right now. I think it's best if you wait for further information. I promised you before, I would keep you up to date, and I will continue to do so. If you all would leave the office, I would appreciate it…I'd like some time to think, if you all would be so kind." Glynda nodded, before making a shooing gesture at the other occupants of the room. Oobleck had already buried his head into his small notebook, seeming to avoid walking into the door frame by some sixth sense as he continued to review his notes on the box. The other members of teams JNPR and RWBY quickly followed after the green-haired professor, Glynda closing the door behind herself as she exited the room last, leaving a final image of Ozpin staring out his window, mug in hand.

Azure was leaning against the wall opposite Ozpin's door, Ozpin's scroll up to his hear, flinching as another loud admonishment sounded out. Seeing the other's exiting the room, his eyes opened wide and he mouthed 'help me' at them, only to have his expression fall as the teens giggled at him and kept walking. Glynda just rolled her eyes at him and stalked off towards her own office.

* * *

Ruby lay in Weiss' bed, arms behind her head as she looked down at the soft white hair resting on her chest. Weiss looked so peaceful as she slept, so untroubled by the world. Sneaking a glance to the other side of the room, Ruby smiled at the sight of her sister softly snoring, Blake snuggled into her side with her head on the blonde's shoulder. She idly noted that at this point, the bunk beds seemed extraneous, since both couples spent more time in the same bed than not. Her thoughts turned back towards the girl currently cuddled into her side.

Weiss had become incredibly affectionate after the first time the two of them had had sex. Suddenly, (not that Ruby minded) Weiss would pull her off somewhere where they could be alone and practically jumped her. Empty training rooms seemed to be one of the heiress' favorite spots, although they had also been in a closet, the cafeteria, the shower, and once even in a classroom. Every chance Weiss got, she took, and Ruby enjoyed every minute of it, seeing the normally reserved princess practically panting in arousal. She loved to see those beautiful blue eyes look dazed and half lidded as she would beg for Ruby to finish it. It was almost like all those years being denied affection from her own family had caught up to her, and now that she had the chance, she wouldn't let go.

But Ruby couldn't help but worry about their parents. Her father wasn't at all prejudiced, she was sure the fact Weiss was a girl wouldn't be an issue. But he had previously expressed some very nasty opinions about the SDC and the Schnee family in general, and Ruby was a bit worried. Taiyang Xiao Long was not a man to mince words, and the temper Yang had been gifted with was pretty much entirely from him. Yang took a lot more after their father than Ruby did, although they did share a sweet tooth, something that made Yang despair about the pair's teeth as they aged. Ruby didn't think they could keep it quiet for much longer…Weiss's public declaration of her feelings at the talent show, while completely welcome, was going to leak out. Stories about the heiress's actions at Beacon often leaked to news outlets, who paid handsomely for anything they could twist into a headline. More than once Weiss and Blake had been forced to talk Ruby and Yang from hunting down the reporters and giving them a piece of their minds…Ruby may be her girlfriend, but Yang saw her as family, and no one talked about her family that way.

But in the end, it wasn't her father Ruby worried about most. It was Weiss' father that worried her the most. With his fairly obvious Faunus hatred, she didn't hold much hope for him approving of a lesbian relationship with a huntress with no social standing at all. Not that Weiss seemed concerned. Every time Ruby brought it up, she loudly declared that she didn't care what he thought, and would kiss Ruby then and there. However, Ruby never failed to notice the slight tremor in her voice as she announced that, and how her kisses were always that much more gentle, almost like Weiss feared hurting Ruby.

Ruby vowed silently to herself that no matter what, she would not give up. She'd fight the entire SDC if she had to. Ruby didn't handle losing things well. She formed very tight attachments to things, like her cloak, Crescent Rose, even her sleep mask. This extended to people as well. Ruby Rose did not surrender the people she loved to anyone or anything. Nothing would take what she loved from her, no matter what she had to do to keep them safe. A murmur sounded from Weiss as she fidgeted slightly, hugging Ruby tighter around her waist, making a soft satisfied sigh. Ruby barely managed to hold back a squeal at how cute Weiss was when she slept, before bringing her arms down to hold Weiss, letting one run through her alabaster tresses, as the other rested on top of Weiss's arm flung around the red-head's midsection. Letting her worries rest for now, Ruby joined her teammates in the world of dreams.

* * *

"So, they found the box." Mercury's drawl sounded out as he leaned against the doorframe, one eyebrow raised as he looked down at Cinder calmly sitting on her bed, filing her nails. Emerald lay back on her bed, reading a small book. Cinder didn't even bother raising her head.

"Yes, they did."

"Doesn't that worry you?"

Mercury's question was met with a derisive chuckle from the older woman. "I wanted them to find it."

Emerald set her book aside as both she and Mercury looked in confusion at Cinder. "But why?"

Cinder looked up at the green haired girl, giving a slow satisfied smile in return. "Because now, they'll be on the lookout for more."

"Which we already planted more. Isn't that a bad thing?" Mercury pointed out.

Returning to her nails, Cinder held up her left hand and examined them carefully. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it. This is all going exactly as I wanted. They'll look for the boxes, they'll look for the one who tampered with the report, they'll look for the Dust that was robbed…but they will never look at the danger right in the city itself." Cinder's voice fell into a whisper as she stared at her nails, almost as though she were talking to herself. "When the time comes…everything will burn."


	21. Chapter 21

A month. A month had passed since the meeting in Ozpin's office, and it was driving Yang nuts. Azure kept calling it 'the calm before the storm' when she asked him about it after spars, but she could see it bothered him too, regardless of how calm he seemed. She believed him when he told her they weren't keeping anything from the girls. Nothing had happened in an entire _month!_ Ugh, this was going to drive her up the wall. Tired of letting her thoughts stray to the current situation, she rolled over on her bed, looking down at her teammates and thinking over what had happened in the past month.

Weiss and Blake were sitting quietly at Weiss' desk, Weiss scribbling notes furiously as Blake talked. Weiss had chosen to do a paper on the mistreatment of Faunus before the war for Oobleck's class, and was relying heavily on Blake's expertise in what books were actually true, and what was completely false. Ruby was lying on her stomach up in her bunk, reading a weapons magazine with her headphones on. She was bopping her head along to some song she liked, occasionally reaching to a small bowl lying next to her with chocolate covered strawberries Weiss had imported in for her, stating she would only give the highest quality sweets. The first time the red-head had bitten one, she had let out a moan that sounded so orgasmic, Yang started laughing, Blake looked extremely uncomfortable, and Weiss had blushed deep red before leaving the room, some flimsy excuse about needing to visit the library thrown out as she dashed. Ruby had just looked confused, before shrugging and eating another strawberry with the same relish as before.

Yang smiled at the sight of the monochrome duo working so closely together. It really was amazing how far the team had come, especially after all the recent drama. Weiss was making a conscious effort, not only to learn about the Faunus, but to try to curb her naturally caustic personality. She even was nicer to Jaune, forgiving him for being unable to take a hint. She willingly sought out her friends to spend time with, and was the picture of graciousness when they asked for her help with schoolwork. She still remained strict about them doing their own work, but she was always willing to help.

Blake had opened up so much more, showing she clearly forgave Weiss for everything, and being more honest with the others. She kept her bow off now the moment she entered the dorm room, or on the random movie nights they shared with team JNPR, showing how comfortable she was with her friends now. She'd even been more willing to let her more feline instincts show through, such as the way she'd curl up into Yang's side or lap and purr happily, something which never failed to bring a smile to the face of anyone who noticed.

Yang also found it very interesting how both Blake and Weiss seemed addicted to physical contact with their partners now. It wasn't hard to puzzle out why though…though their social stations were nearly polar opposites, they had a similar lack of affection growing up, a similar lack of love and caring. Weiss was kept locked up in a castle, barely seeing her family, inundated with impersonal maids and butlers doing the bare minimum to interact with the heiress before disappearing. Blake had been left all alone, drawn into a world of fear, where her only contact ended up coming from other downtrodden faunus who simply didn't know how to be affectionate with a small child. Both girls had suffered a lack of any type of love and caring, which seemed to be part of why Weiss had frozen her own feelings, and Blake had hid hers. But now, with their newfound leases on life with the sisters, they had opened up so much more. In some ways, they were just like little kids, always seeking out another chance to be held, or to just feel warm and safe.

Ruby herself had grown up so much. Yang was so proud of her. Ruby had finally settled into her role as leader, showing confidence and willingness to believe in herself. She was still excitable and hyperactive, but she knew how to temper it, she knew when to set it aside and become a huntress. Even Yang sometimes shuddered when she saw Ruby disconnect from the fight, turning her into this deadly reaper that reminded Yang a lot of their uncle. But as soon as the fight ended, Ruby was back to being her little sis, back to being their leader. The one dark spot was that Ruby still clearly had difficulty forgiving herself for her actions when she was recovering from the Goliath's attack, but slowly she was making headway.

One good thing came from her actions when she was recovering though…it finally seemed to beat some sense into team CRDL. Getting tossed around so easily by the youngest person in the school, who wasn't even using her weapon at the time, put some honest fear into them. The combination of Pyrrha's easy victory over them, Ruby's brutal assault, and even Jaune's refusal to back down to them, (even saving Cardin's life against that Ursa) had down something to the group of young men. They were still jerks, still clearly prejudiced against faunus, but they stopped bullying everyone around them. They kept most of their comments to themselves, and spent more time just bragging to each other, or arguing over sports.

Yang let her thoughts stray to her friends across the hall, smiling to herself at the knowledge that the furor over the aftermath of the Goliath fight had finally settled down. None were more thankful than Jaune, who still had serious issues with the hero worship he had been hit with, no thanks to team CFVY. Coco apparently had a flair for the dramatic, and had retold the story to anyone who would listen of what she and the others had seen as they were arriving. The story of Jaune and Nora's last stand had swept through the school like fire, leading to even fourth year students praising them for their heroism. Nora had been unflappable, just laughing it off, but Jaune had been completely embarrassed. No one really understood why at first, but Yang had found Jaune sitting alone on the roof one day a few weeks back and, performing her new duty as friend's therapist, had listened to his rant.

_'C'mon Jaune, just talk. It's just me here.'_

_Jaune sighed, his expression glum as he propped his chin up on the knee he'd pulled up to his chest as he leaned against the wall to the stairwell. 'I can't help but feel like most of what happened I could have prevented.' Yang gave him a deadpan look, but before she could interrupt him he kept going. 'It was my idea for Ruby to be the bait, you know? And I'm the one who came up with the assignments. I didn't adapt quick enough to the Grimm arriving quick enough, it was my job! And I should have anticipated a fourth Goliath, I mean, should always be prepared right? And I didn't do anything to stop you or Weiss from nearly killing yourselves trying to save Ruby and Blake! If it wasn't for Azure, I probably would have stood there in shock and just gotten myself killed too! All I did was stand over my dying friends and swing a sword wildly, which I ended up losing anyways! Nora was fighting with two broken legs, I was perfectly fine, and she didn't lose her weapon! And-'Yang reached over and slapped her hand over Jaune's mouth, shushing him instantly. Taking her hand from his mouth, Yang gave him a stern look._

_'Listen here Jaune. You and Nora saved everyone's lives. Flat out. Don't you dare argue with me,' Yang growled out as soon as Jaune opened his mouth again, making him shut it with a distinct clack as he looked away from the brawler. 'Coco may exaggerate a bit sometimes, but the fact you lost both your weapons and still tried to sacrifice yourself for us is something everyone on that Bullhead watched you do. Ruby would have tried to be the bait regardless, and we all know she was the best for the task anyways. And who the hell could have anticipated the scouting report was that far off? It was tampered with Jaune! That is not your fault! You are a leader of a team, and I know that means a lot of responsibility. I see it with Ruby too, she keeps trying to take responsibility for everything we do even if it's outside of her control, and I see it in you. But you can't do that Jaune. We all make our own choices, and if I had to make a choice like that for Blake again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. That's on me, not on you, not on Ruby, not on Blake. It's on me. The same goes for Weiss. What you and Nora did was heroic. It's time you accepted that. We're all very thankful to you two for what you did for us.'_

Yang had sat in silence with Jaune for a bit as he processed what she said, before he finally smiled and thanked her for her words. The two blonde's had left then, going back to their respective dorms, but Yang kept an eye on him for the next few days. Finally it seemed like he'd let go of his worries. He still wasn't comfortable with people being so worshipful, but at least he handled it better. Yang could tell Pyrrha was happier with it too, giving Yang a knowing look and a silent 'thank you' at lunch yesterday when Jaune was calmly accepting praise for his actions from a fourth year who had stopped by the table to congratulate him and Nora.

Yang's thoughts came full circle, back to her teammates, and especially her kitty cat. Smiling down softly at Blake, she looked over to note that Ruby had stopped reading her magazine and was looking at Weiss the same way. The two sisters locked eyes before a devious grin spread across Ruby's face, one which Yang reciprocated as they communicated in the way only close siblings could. The two sisters silently dropped down from their beds in unison, the monochrome duo too focused on the paper to even notice their movements. Although Blake was by far the sneakiest member of the team, Yang and Ruby had picked up a few tips from their uncle, and we're able to easily creep up on the distracted girls. With one more quick nod to each other, they pounced.

Blake found herself being yanked to her feet, a stunned sound escaping her lips before they were occupied by the blonde's. The shock of the situation kept her from gathering her scattered thoughts, her entire being focused on the feeling of the brawler's body pressed against her own as she let out a quiet moan. Yang broke the kiss, smirking at Blake, leaving the faunus girl dazed. She caught a glimpse of Weiss' glazed eyes as Ruby broke their kiss, and wondered if that was how she looked, even as she tried to catch her breath. She gulped as she tried to gain control of herself, before managing to rasp out "What was _that_ for?"

Yang winked at Blake. "Just cause I love you." Blake was going to respond, but Yang pulled her into another kiss, and her brain decided this was a great time to shut down and enjoy the ride. She hadn't failed to notice the telltale sounds of Weiss beginning to lecture Ruby, only for a muffled yelp to sound out as Ruby took a lesson from her older sister, shutting the heiress up effectively.

When breathing was no longer optional, and the two sisters felt like they had tormented their partners enough, they released them and gave each other a high five, even as Weiss and Blake glared at them. Ruby's eyes went wide as an idea hit her.

"Oh, guys, we should go on a double date!"

Yang leapt up and high fived her sister again. "That's a great idea Rubes! We haven't gone on one of those yet!"

She turned expectantly to her partner, who shrugged. "Sure. We do have the rest of today free." Yang turned to look at the heiress, who she saw had already opened her closet.

"Weiss?"

The heiress turned and scoffed at Yang, before eyeing her critically. "Well, I'm not going out on a date without looking my best! You should also find something else to wear…besides, we still need to decide where we're going."

Ruby nodded. "Well, can't be anywhere too expensive…"

Weiss chuckled, still pawing through her closet. "Don't worry about the cost. You _are_ dating the richest girl in school."

Ruby blushed slightly, looking down. "Doesn't mean we should take advantage of you."

Weiss paused, before spinning on her heel and marching over to Ruby, taking her chin in her hands and lifting it. "It's not taking advantage of me if I am the one who wants to do it. I'm allowed to spoil my girlfriend and my best friends sometimes." Blake felt her own face heating up at the heiress's admission that she was her best friend, while Yang just slung her arm over Weiss' shoulder and hugged her close.

"Aww, you _do_ care."

Weiss rolled her eyes and pushed playfully at Yang. "Oh shush you oaf."

Yang chuckled, releasing the heiress, before heading over to her own closet. On the way, she noticed the envelopes sitting on her desk and her eyes widened. "Oh yeah, I totally forgot about our payment for the hunt! We never opened them, did we?" All three of the remaining girls of team RWBY face palmed at their own forgetfulness, before Ruby dashed over and picked up the envelopes, tossing them out to the other three. She ripped the top of the envelope off and grabbed the lien card inside, before freezing. Eyes wide, she held it up to try to verify to herself that the number on it was real. Yang blinked at it, stealing it from Ruby's frozen hand and staring at the number. Blake, confused, trotted over only to blink rapidly at the number. Weiss rolled her eyes at the three, opening her own envelope carefully, and looking at the card before lifting one eyebrow at it.

"Huh. Ten thousand. I didn't think they paid that much for hunts. I suppose it was because of the danger. Oh well, I'll deposit it when we go to the city. It's nice to be able to say I earned my own money this time." Looking up from her musings, she looked in askance at her still frozen teammates. "Hmm. I suppose this is a lot to you. Well, come on, wake up. You got paid for doing your job. Maybe you can get yourselves something nice with it. And Ruby, that does _not_ mean more cookies!" Ruby's freeze broke at Weiss's comment, pouting.

"But Weeeeiiissssssss," the younger girl whined, her eyes wide and watery as she glanced back at her girlfriend. To Weiss' credit, she managed to hold out for a good ten seconds this time before she sighed and broke eye contact.

"Fine, _some_ cookies, but if you blow ten thousand lien on cookies I swear I'm breaking up with you." 

Ruby started jumping in place in joy, ignoring the heiress' threat. Blake and Yang finally managed to shake off their own shock and grinned sheepishly at each other, the prospect of actually being able to afford something making both of them feel fairly giddy. Weiss just cocked her head at the three contemplatively. "Is money really that big an issue to you three?" Her question sounded honest, without a trace of her normal cutting sarcasm.

Yang shrugged at the heiress. "Well, Dad wasn't poor, he is a teacher at Signal and a huntsman himself, but I've still never seen this much money at once. What about you Blake?"

Blake just looked down at the ground, ears wilting slightly. "Well…the White Fang didn't exactly have a home, or stable income or anything, so sometimes we had to make do with what we found in the trash. And most faunus who work don't really get paid as much as humans, so they seldom really have enough. Especially not if they work for-" Blake cut herself off, realizing what she was about to say. She looked up at Weiss, trying not to flinch at the way the heiress' face had fallen. Weiss hugged her arms to herself as she looked away from Blake for a moment, before taking a deep breath. She squared herself up and stood tall as she looked directly in Blake's eyes.

"I swear to you, as heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, I _will_ fix that. I don't care what it takes, I will change it. I take this oath here, before these witnesses gathered, I will not rest until every employee of my company is accorded all the rights and privileges that they so richly deserve, regardless of what I must do." Weiss bowed low and gravely at the end, holding it for a moment before straightening up again. A brief moment of silence was had before Weiss was nearly knocked over by an enthusiastic Ruby, who had practically leapt into the heiress' arms to hug her. Blake smiled at the sight, before walking over and hugging Weiss too.

"Thanks Weiss. I know you will."

Weiss sighed, still not entirely comfortable with emotional demonstrations, but swiftly found her feet leaving the floor as Yang wrapped all three in her arms and lifted them up with her prodigious strength. "Oh, you guys!" Yang began swaying back and forth as the three in her arms tried to protest their cracking spines and lack of breath, but Yang was oblivious to it as she just smiled and squeezed her teammates tightly. Finally letting them down, with Weiss nearly collapsing to the floor from being in the dead center of that bone-breaking hug, she just grinned at the three trying to catch their breath. "So, let's get ready for date night!"

* * *

Weiss had steadfastly refused to let the other three pay for anything during their day in the city. Every time one of them went to buy something, even down to the little snacks Ruby kept making them stop for at every bakery, Weiss pushed ahead of them and paid for it. Blake wasn't entirely sure if she was happy Weiss had finally understood that the others didn't have the same sort of chances she did, or annoyed that Weiss was overcompensating for it. It came to a head midway through the day, when the girls had stopped at a small café overlooking the docks for lunch and Weiss kept insisting on paying.

"Weiss, seriously, we can pay for our own things!" Ruby exclaimed, waving her hands above her head in emphasis.

"Yes, you can, but no reason to when I'm sitting right here."

Blake's eye twitched for a moment, before she responded in a bland tone. "We're not invalids you have to pity, Weiss."

Weiss looked confused for a moment, before she jerked her head back in shock. "Is _that_ why you three think I keep paying?" The other three nodded, causing Weiss to let out a big sigh. "You three are such dolts sometimes. It has nothing to do with that. It's simply more economical."

"And how is you spending all your money on us economical?" Yang asked, one eyebrow raised at the heiress.

"Because. I could spend six times what I already have and it would all be back in my bank account tomorrow." At the other three's confused glances, Weiss sighed again. "My account is so large that I make more daily in interest than I can feasibly spend in a day. Why should you waste your money, when all I'm spending is interest I earn daily? This way, you can start your own savings for when I'm not around. Honestly, it's not even remotely close to a drop in the bucket for me…so just let me do this, ok?"

"Weiss, you don't have to make up for your father, not to us," came Blake's reply, catching the hidden meaning behind Weiss' words. Weiss squirmed in her seat for a moment, looking down.

"I don't have to, but I want to. Besides, it's nice being able to spoil you guys. You're more of a family to me than my own, except maybe Winter, but I don't really get to see her. I always got anything I wanted growing up, but it was only given to me to get me to perform like a stupid puppet for my father. The only gift I was given that I truly felt like they wanted to give me is Myrtenaster."

Ruby perked up at the mention of her weapon, looking over at Weiss. "So you didn't build Myrtenaster?"

Weiss shook her head no. "It was a gift from my fencing instructor. He had a Multi-Action Dust Rapier too, and I had told him how amazing I thought it was one day after practice. A few weeks later, he gave me Myrtenaster. He'd built her himself, just for me. He told me I was his favorite student, and he thought I could use a good blade before I came here. He was very kind to me. He was more proud of me when I got accepted into Beacon than my own father was. He was a very good teacher, talented and strong. I haven't spoken to him since I got into Beacon though."

Ruby poked Weiss in the side, making the heiress twitch and glare at Ruby. "Well, maybe you should! Send him a letter or something, seems like he was a cool guy!" Weiss shrugged, signifying her desire to end this line of conversation. Ruby turned to Blake. "So how did you get Gambol Shroud? Was it a gift too?" Blake tilted her head slightly.

"Yes and no? You guys remember what I said about Adam, right?" Yang and Weiss nodded, but Ruby looked confused. "Oh right, you were on watch. Adam was my mentor in the White Fang. He was a lot like an older brother to me, he looked out for me, taught me how to fight. He's the one who taught me to use the blade and sheath together, like he does. But the ribbon was my idea. I wasn't paying attention during a mission, and ended up falling off the edge of a building. Adam was too far away to catch me, so I looped my ribbon around Gambol Shroud and threw it. Managed to hook it into a wall and kept myself from falling the rest of the way. Adam laughed his head off when he saw what I'd done, and encouraged me to keep using that. He said everyone should find their own style, their own methods, so, I did. Practiced using the ribbon with it and well, you know the rest." Blake's smile was a little sad, but it brightened up when Yang wrapped an arm around her shoulder and hugged her to the blonde's side.

"You two have much cooler stories than me. I built Ember Celica cause my dad mentioned the only thing worse than my punches would be if they caused explosions…so I made Ember Celica. I think Dad regretted that comment ever since." The girls shared a quiet giggle, before eyes turned to Ruby, who grinned brightly.

"Well, it was Uncle Qrow's idea of course. I really was bad with all the weapons the other teachers tried to give me. They all thought I needed something lighter, but Uncle didn't agree. He handed me his scythe one day and pointed me at a training dummy. I just knew it was right for me as soon as I picked it up, even though it was so heavy I could barely hold it."

"Yeah, except she missed the dummy entirely and cut clean through a tree in the backyard."

Ruby pouted at Yang. "Hey, it was heavy! It has momentum you know! And Uncle keeps his razor sharp, just like my sweetheart."

Weiss turned and glared at Ruby. "Excuse you, _I'm_ your sweetheart. Crescent Rose is your _weapon_."

Ruby smirked at Weiss. "What's wrong Weiss, jealous?"

Weiss scoffed. "Of a giant metal knife on a stick? Of course not!"

Ruby looked affronted. "Hey, Crescent Rose is far more than a knife on a stick!" Ruby yanked out her scythe from nowhere the other three could figure and caressed it gently, reassuring it. Weiss just sighed and, planting her elbow on the table and laying her chin in her hand, looked over at Yang.

"I'm going to be competing with that scythe for the rest of my life, aren't I?"

Yang's smile grew into a devious one. "Rest of your life? Reeaaaallly? That almost sounds like a marriage proposal there, princess." Ruby froze, eyes wide as Weiss, who had just taken a sip of her water, did a spit-take and began coughing. Blake slapped her hand over her mouth to try to hide her chuckles. Weiss quickly dabbed her mouth with a napkin before growling at Yang.

"Not…funny…you big blonde oaf!"

Yang just rested her head on her hands, leaning her elbows on the table. "So what, you don't want to stay with my little sis forever in wedded bliss?"

Weiss began sputtering. "Well, no...wait…yes…wait… _oh just shut up!"_ Weiss turned away from Yang, arms crossed over her chest as Yang just began laughing uproariously. Ruby was as red as her namesake as she looked down, fiddling with her hands in her lap, with Blake just wiping tears from her eyes as she shared a glance with the brawler. A strange sound hit her and she paused, bow twitching as she looked out the window of the café towards the docks, eyes narrowing. Yang noticed her motion and stopped laughing, looking at Blake curiously.

"Blake? What's wrong?" Blake said nothing, just looking out over the bay, before excitedly pointing.

"There! Do you see that?" The other three turned in their seats to get a better glimpse, eyes narrowed as they looked out over the bay.

"You mean that wave coming in?" Ruby asked, head cocked.

"That wave isn't right…" Weiss said slowly, rising to her feet cautiously. Her instincts were screaming at her, telling her something was wrong. As she dropped her hand to Myrtenaster, the wave erupted, a colossal black tentacle ripping out of the water and smashing down onto one of the boardwalks, decimating it. All four members of team RWBY leapt to their feet, weapons drawn, dashing out the door of the café even as another tentacle ripped out and wrapped itself around a small ship moored at the dock, crushing it instantly before throwing its remains out into the city.

Ducking underneath a flung wooden board, Ruby leapt up powerfully, using shots from Crescent Rose to get her up onto the roof of a nearby store, her team following seconds later. People were screaming, running as quickly as they could away from the docks, even as a massive bulbous creature heaved itself up onto the edge of the docks, tentacles waving in the air, slamming down indiscriminatingly. Two glaring red eyes and the ubiquitous white and red mask of bone over the rest of its face marked it as a creature of Grimm, even as it opened its beaklike maw and screamed, the sound making everyone nearby wince at its volume and incredibly high pitch. Blake dropped to her knees, trying to cover her ears, even as Yang dropped next to her and pulled her into the blonde's arms.

"What…the _hell_ …is that thing?!" Yang exclaimed, staring at it. Weiss just looked back at her, all blood drained from her already pale face as she spoke one word.

"Kraken!"


	22. Chapter 22

Once a month, the faculty of Beacon got together on a Saturday, ostensibly to discuss the state of affairs at the school and prepare for the next month. In truth, they used it mostly for gossiping, relaxing with colleagues, and paying Glynda her winnings when they lost another bet with her on the status of student couples. Peach had repeatedly stated she felt Glynda was cheating somehow, since she always won, but Glynda merely replied she was a better judge of relationships than the rest of them. However, the quiet conversation was interrupted by Azure's scroll going off. He glanced down at it, lifted an eyebrow, and then clicked answer as the rest of the teachers returned to their conversations.

"Hey Yang, what's… _what?_ No, that's impossible!...wait a minute, that's just completely-" Azure's voice escalated in volume, catching the attention of the other teachers, before a piercing screech echoed out from his scroll, making him jerk the scroll away from his ear as he winced. He returned it to his ear quickly. "Ok, so maybe I believe you. We'll be…what? No. No. Yang Xiao Long, hell no, I am _not_ saying that! Oh, _fine!_ " Azure placed the scroll on his chest, sighing deeply, before turning to look at the gathered teachers, most of whom were looking at him with worry. "Miss Yang Xiao Long would like to cordially invite you all down to the docks for a _kraken_ good time." A brief moment of silence followed his deadpan pronouncement, before a collective series of groans sounded out from the assembled faculty. A second later, Azure's statement sunk in, and with widened eyes and shouts of disbelief, the entire room leapt into action.

* * *

"But…this makes no sense! Kraken are deep sea Grimm! They never swim inland!" Weiss exclaimed as Yang stowed her scroll, hands out wide in astonishment.

"Tell that to _him_!" Blake shouted, as she ducked beneath another flailing tentacle, the tentacle smashing into the storefront behind her and raining shards of glass down on her. Her Aura blocked the cuts, but it ticked another drop off her bar, which was already sitting down a quarter from a previous impact with a street sign that had been launched in her direction. Ruby growled slightly as Crescent Rose bounced off the Kraken's incredibly thick skinned head.

"How do you kill this stupid thing?" The younger girl yelled out, even as she disappeared in a flurry of rose petals to avoid the massive creature's beak smashing into the ground where she had just been standing. Weiss gestured helplessly, eyes wide.

"I-I don't know! No one fights Kraken's! Fishing boats don't go out that deep in the water! We only really know what they look like, no one really knows what they do!" She yelped as Yang's arm yanked her down, the thrown car passing just barely above the two girl's heads.

"Hey, pay attention princess! Less worry about it being impossible, and more worry about survival!"

Weiss glared at Yang, leaping to her feet and drawing Myrtenaster. A cry made her head snap around, to see a couple of young children huddling in an alleyway, a tentacle slamming down towards them. A quick twist of Myrtenaster and a white glyph appeared above the children, the tentacle bouncing off it, before Blake leapt into the corner. Grabbing the pair up in her arms, she leapt up, using a shadow clone to get even more height, landing next to Weiss and Yang on the rooftop. Nodding at her teammates, she leapt back deeper into the city, carefully setting the kids down and shooing them towards a few police officers who were attempting to help evacuate the area. The one officer grabbed up both kids, giving Blake a quick salute, before dashing off with them in his arms. Blake returned to her team just as Ruby reappeared at their side, gasping for air.

"This stupid Grimm's skin is too thick! It's worse than armor! I don't have the force to break it!" Yang growled out in her frustration. Ruby paused, before looking over at Yang slyly.

"Hey, Yang?"

"What?"

"Remember that one move Uncle Qrow and dad did, when they were fighting that weird lizard Grimm? The one dad said was Qrow's worst idea ever?"

Yang blinked at Ruby, before narrowing her eyes. "Oh heeeeelllll no. No. Nope. Nada. Never. Oh no no no no, we are _not_ doing that!"

"But it'll work!"

"You don't know that!"

Ruby shrugged. "It's worth a try." Yang shook her head no, the two sister's not noticing how their respective partners were just glancing back and forth at them, confused.

"We should just wait for the teachers to get here! They'll know what to do!"

Ruby gestured at the still fleeing citizens. "We don't have time for that! There are too many trapped here for us to rescue! We have to stop it now!"

Yang clenched her fists in frustration, before sighing. " _Fine!_ But I'm not as strong as Dad is, how do you expect me to get you up that high?" Ruby's sly grin turned even more devious, as she glanced meaningfully at Weiss and Blake.

"You could be…" she trailed off, watching as the gears turned in Yang's head. A look of realization hit the blonde, and she tilted her head as she nodded. Coming to a quick conclusion, Yang spun around to their partners.

"Ok, hit me!"

Weiss goggled as Blake blinked. "What?"

"Hit me! Hard! Like, as hard as you can!"

Blake just gaped at Yang. "I am not going to hit you!" The black haired girl exclaimed.

"You're insane you big blonde oaf! We're not about to just up and hit you for no reason!" Weiss's rebuttal was less courteous than Blake's was.

Yang tugged at her hair for a moment, groaning. "Oh come _on!_ I need more power, and you know what triggers my semblance! Just hit me already! You both know it's not going to hurt me!" Weiss accepted Yang's words, realizing she had a point, and readied Myrtenaster to strike. Blake was still hesitant, her amber eyes searching Yang's lilac ones, worry clouding them. Yang just grinned at Blake. "C'mon kitty cat…really, it's not gonna hurt me, you know that. We need my semblance for this." Blake closed her eyes and shook her head a bit, shuddering, before letting out a deep breath. Nodding, she looked at Weiss and readied Gambol Shroud. The monochrome duo let out one more nod to each other, before both swinging at Yang with all their force.

Seconds later, Yang leapt back to her feet, her eyes glowing a telltale red as her hair burned with golden flames. She smirked at the two girls, before turning back to Ruby. "Ready, Rubes?" Ruby unclasped her cloak and handed it carefully to Weiss.

"Hold onto this for me, ok?"

Weiss looked down at the cloak in her arms, confused, before her mind put two and two together. Her eyes widened as she looked at Yang, Ruby, and then up, but before she could voice her protest, Ruby had leapt into Yang's locked waiting hands. Her foot landing in the cup of the blonde's hands, Yang pooled all her strength and threw _up._ A massive burst of flame followed the red-head into the sky as she was launched at an angle up and up and up, the flames trailing behind her like some sort of rocket. As she reached the apex of the throw, many meters in the air, her body paused in the air for one brief second. Ruby smiled, taking a second to breathe in the air around her, before she twisted in midair to angle herself down. Pointing Crescent Rose behind her, she fired off a shot to align herself better with the colossal beast below her. Tucking her arms and legs in, Ruby fell, eyes watering as she picked up speed. She narrowed her vision as she approached, pulling her scythe against the wind to hold it in two hands above her, tip of the scythe pointing straight down as the handle lay parallel to her body. With another shot from her rifle and a strong tug from her upper body, she curled in on herself as she began rotating.

The other three members of the team watched as the red and black blur that was their leader begin spinning, looking for all the world like a massive circular saw blade screaming through the air at the Kraken. Yang kept her fists clenched, trying to keep the worry off her face, as Blake just held onto the blonde's arm, stroking it gently and trying to reassure both girls that Ruby was going to be fine. Weiss had her hands clasped in front of her mouth, horrified, fervently hoping that Ruby was going to be ok.

The sound the Kraken made when Ruby hit had no analogue in human speech. It was a watery, gurgling scream of pain, one that caused everyone within kilometers scrambling to cover their ears. Like the circular saw blade the girls had thought Ruby resembled, the reaper carved clean through the Kraken's skull, splitting the beast in twain. The force of the blow made it slam back into the water, a tremendous splash sending waves up over the docks as Ruby disappeared into the waters that were rapidly turning red from the dark red blood spilling out of the Grimm. Immediately, the three girls of team RWBY were at the remains of the docks, frantically looking into the water for a sign of Ruby.

As an entire minute approached, Yang began stripping off her extraneous clothes, ready to dive in to search for her sister. Frantically, she struggled to yank Ember Celica off, snarling at the weapon when it refused to move over her wrist, having gotten caught on her jacket. A small splash from the water had her snapping her head up to see her little sister, water dripping from her hair as it fell in her face, waving frantically from a few meters out. She heaved a sigh of relief even as Ruby began swimming towards the dock. Team RWBY's leader tossed Crescent Rose up onto the docks, before planting both her arms onto the ledge to pull herself up, but Yang and Blake just grabbed her by the arms and yanked her onto the shore. She smiled at them and went to say thanks, but a tackle hug from Weiss nearly threw her back into the water.

"You dunce! Enough with these crazy plans, one of these days they won't end this well! No more insanity from you!" Weiss squeezed Ruby tight, eyes shut, not even noticing that the front of her dress was getting soaked. Ruby coughed slightly, trying to pry the surprisingly strong heiress's arms off of her so she could breath. Weiss suddenly released her and wagged her finger in front of Ruby, a disapproving scowl plastered on her face. "And what took you so long to surface huh? We were all very worried about you!"

Ruby held up a familiar small black box. "I saw this when I went under. It was tucked under the ledge in the water. I think it's what drew the Kraken here."

A familiar voice sounded from behind them. "An astute observation Miss Rose. Sound travels four point three times faster in water." Spinning around, the girls saw Professor's Oobleck, Goodwitch, and Port, all with weapons drawn, although Glynda's expression was sour as she realized they had arrived too late and were unneeded. Azure was standing off to the side, silently laughing to himself at the expression on Glynda's face. Oobleck marched over and plucked the box from Ruby's hands, examining it closely. "Hmm, yes, yes. I shall endeavor to learn this device's secrets posthaste." In his usual abrupt fashion, he spun about and left, eyes glued to the box as he turned it this way and that, leaving team RWBY slightly dumbfounded.

"Would someone be kind enough to explain to me how you killed it? We'll want to note this for any future encounters." Glynda asked, eyeing the girls carefully. The WBY of RWBY turned to look at their leader, making Ruby chuckle sheepishly as she avoided everyone's gaze.

* * *

Three days later, Ruby finally understood what was bothering Jaune previously. Now, it was _her_ getting all the attention and praise, and it was rather exasperating. She was a huntress, this was what she signed up to do, let it go already! Of course, she never voiced this out loud, not wanting to upset anyone, but it didn't change the fact she had to plaster a fake smile on her face every time someone else came up to ask for the story again, or just congratulate her. Ok, maybe she was being a bit ungracious, but really, it wasn't that big a deal!

Didn't help that Weiss had been practically glued to her side since it happened. Ruby guessed she couldn't blame the heiress, it wasn't the first time Ruby had done something potentially suicidal, and it probably wouldn't be the last (although she was not going to admit that second part out loud to Weiss. The poor girl would probably have a heart attack.). And she loved when Weiss was all snuggly with her, absolutely. But the way Weiss kept worrying over every little bump and scrape she got (and she tended to accumulate a lot of those, between her training and her slight clumsiness at times) was just tiring.

Luckily, right now Weiss was busy studying for a test three weeks out, something none of the other three could understand, and Ruby finally had some time to herself. Not that she was doing much, but this magazine article about new self-guided bullets was fascinating. Oh, if she could get some of those for her sweetheart, she could have so much _fun_! A booming knock at the door distracted her from her contemplation, and she leapt down from her bunk to answer the door, since it was pretty clear none of the others were going to get up. Yang was busy brushing her hair, and Blake had her nose buried in another book, which meant Ruby was the only one who even really noticed the knock in the first place.

Weiss had tuned everything out in her zeal to study, but a sudden loud happy squeal from her girlfriend had her twisting around in her seat, even as a yellow blur launched itself from Yang's bed with a boisterous cry of ' _Dad!_ ' Blake lowered her book at the same time Weiss finished spinning, seeing the man standing in their doorway, arms around Yang and Ruby, a big grin plastered across his face.

Taiyang Xiao Long was a tall man, over six feet tall, with a muscular build. With golden short cropped hair and dark purple eyes, it was clear where Yang got her coloring from. But the smile plastered on his face was the one Weiss was so used to seeing on Ruby, a wide grin that looked so hopeful and cheery you couldn't help but smile in its wake. He was wearing a simple pair of jeans and shirt, with an unzipped black leather jacket over his shirt. His gaze left his excited daughters as they clung to him and passed over the other two girls in the room, lingering briefly on each one. Weiss gulped when she felt the weight of his gaze fall upon her, seeing an odd expression cross his face before the smile resumed. He looked back down at his daughters and gently patted them both on the back, before extricating himself from their grasp.

"Well, I see you two are handling yourselves well. The room isn't on fire, so I'll assume someone is keeping Yang on a leash." He winked at the other two girls in the room, causing Blake to chuckle nervously as Yang pouted at him, punching him in the shoulder. He pretended to hiss in pain and grabbed his arm in mock agony. "Yang! Have pity on your old man, he's fragile." Yang's derisive snort made it clear how she felt about that statement. He grinned at her, before looking back at Ruby and adopting a mock stern face. "And you! How dare you have the audacity to grow taller! At this rate, you're going to surpass your mother." Weiss perceptively noted Ruby's expression fall for a brief moment, before she smiled again and shrugged.

"Like you said Dad, cookies and milk!" Her broad grin reflected on her father's face as Yang just groaned.

"Oh Dust don't you two dare start the cookie eating marathons, not in front of our partners!"

Taiyang nudged his older daughter in the side, chuckling. "Where are my manners? You two must be my girl's teammates. Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna, right? My name is Taiyang Xiao Long." He bowed, one hand across his waist. Weiss stood up and curtsied, as Blake just awkwardly waved.

"How did you know our names?" Blake asked, curious. Taiyang's expression fell into a stern one, his hand casually slipping inside his jacket to pull out a small sheaf of newspaper pages.

"You know Blake, that is an excellent question, and I'm very glad you asked that. You see, there I was, sitting casually in the teacher's lounge at Signal with Qrow, eating our lunches, when another teacher comes dashing into the room, a newspaper in her hand. She hands it to me, showing a lovely picture of the four of you on it, with this nice little title 'Huntress Student's stop a Kraken Grimm with high flying stunts!' Of course, I have to now read this article, and come to find out my daughter's killed a massive Grimm using a move from a bedtime story I used to tell them about mine and Qrow's adventures. For the record girls, your uncle thinks you were idiots to try that, and congratulates you for pulling it off." Taiyang tossed one of the newspaper pages at Ruby, the title he had just spoken of clearly visible. He then plucks another one out of the stack.

"Now, that article makes reference to 'earlier' adventures the four of you have had, so naturally I decide to go looking through old newspapers. I seldom bother reading anything but the front page, if that, so I apparently missed the stories about you stopping a crime syndicate from stealing millions of Lien in dust, or the stories about you riding an exploding train into the city and helping fight off countless Grimm invading through the hole said train made." He proceeds to throw another two newspaper articles at his daughters.

"And _then_ I come across a story about you having gone out and fought _Goliath's_ and in the process all four of you, and another team, nearly _dying!_ With my youngest daughter getting _impaled!_ " Taiyang's voice had risen slightly, before he took a deep breath. Shaking his head, he tossed the fourth article out, before holding up the last one. "And finally, lo and behold, this lovely little image of my daughter winning a talent show, and sharing an apparently very heartfelt kiss with the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company." Flipping the newspaper page around, Weiss flushed as she saw the black and white photograph of her and Ruby locked in an intimate embrace. The older man looked down disapprovingly at his daughter's, eyes narrowed.

"So you can imagine my, _surprise_ , shall we say, at the fact that all of this happened and no one thought to tell me a thing. So…anything else I should know about, girls?"

Yang giggled nervously, running her hand through her hair as she glanced sheepishly off to the side. "Umm…me and Blake are dating too?" Yang looked up at her dad, a nervous smile on her lips. Taiyang sighed, rolling his eyes. Silence fell into the room as the older man stood, arms crossed over his chest, before Weiss's timid voice spoke up.

"Are you saying you don't approve?"

Taiyang rolled his eyes again. "My approval is unimportant. My daughter's don't belong to me, they are free to make their own choices. However, I will tell you what I think of you two." He narrowed his eyes at Weiss and Blake, before lifting one hand and pointing at Weiss. "I despise your father, Miss Schnee. I truly loathe the man, for a multitude of reasons. However, I am not an idiot. You are not your father, and I will not blame you or hold anything against you simply because you are his daughter. Not to mention it was made clear to me that you hold similar feelings towards him. What was it Oobleck told me you said? Oh right 'My father was not the start of our name, and I refuse to let him be the last.' I commend you for such an attitude. Besides, somehow you seem to have tamed my little gem a little bit, which that in and of itself is a feat." Ruby pouted at her father, as Weiss smiled shyly before taking Ruby's hand in her own. Taiyang swung his finger around to point at Blake.

"I also despise what the White Fang has become. I completely agree with their desires to improve life for the Faunus, and what it once was, but I also have it on good authority that when you saw the direction it was taking, that was when you left and came here. A brave act, in my humble opinion, to leave the only people you knew as family and come be amongst strangers, all in a desire to make the world a better place. I like that."

Blake goggled at the older man. "How did you know I was in the White Fang?"

Taiyang just waved his hand dismissively. "Ozpin told me what you had gone through to get here. He even showed me your fight against the Goliath's. I am quite proud of my daughters…but it doesn't take you girls off the hook for failing to tell me about it. Can you imagine how it made me feel to know you never bothered to say a word to me about how many times you nearly _died_?" Ruby and Yang both looked down, Ruby placing her hands behind her back as she scuffed her foot on the floor.

Yang took a deep breath and looked up at her father. "We just didn't want you to worry about us."

Taiyang's stern expression softened. "I'm always going to worry about you. I'm a huntsman myself. I know what you two are getting into with this career. This job took S-Summer away from us." Ruby and Yang both flinched as Taiyang stuttered over saying her name, but he kept going. "It took her away, but I know she never regretted her choice to be a huntress, not once. I know it's a hazard in this line of work…but you wouldn't be my girls if you weren't reckless." He sighed, a small smile coming across his face. "Just…do me a favor, and tell me these things, ok? I'd much rather hear them from you than the news weeks later." Ruby nodded, her smile finally reappearing, as Yang hugged her father gently.

"We promise Dad. We'll tell you."

Taiyang hugged Yang back, then released her. Looking at Weiss, he arched an eyebrow. "Did you tell your father about the two of you yet?" Ruby blushed, glancing at Weiss who, in contrast, went white as a sheet. She slowly shook her head no, refusing to meet Taiyang's eyes. "If he doesn't know yet, he will soon. That picture hit the papers yesterday, and even if he doesn't read them, I guarantee he has someone keeping an eye out for stories involving you."

Weiss kept her eyes downturned, muttering. "I wanted to tell him, but I'm worried."

Taiyang took a contemplative stance. "Are you worried he'll disown you?"

Weiss sighed. "Yes. I could live without the money, I know I could adapt, but I can't fix his mistakes if he disowns me. And I promised I would." Weiss glanced over at Blake as she spoke, seeing the black-haired girl eyeing her carefully.

"Well, I have a suggestion, something that I think may solve your problem." Weiss cocked her head at Taiyang, confused. He smirked. "It's simple. Just make sure to emphasize Ruby's full name." All four girls blinked at him, completely lost. "Your father often goes out to personally visit proposed dust mines. Due to the fear of Grimm, he always hires hunters to protect him, well aware his normal security teams simply wouldn't cut it if Grimm showed. Many years ago, one of the mines he visited was inhabited by Deathstalker's which his scouting team failed to pick up on. A huntress saved his life, although I kept telling her she should've let the bastard die. One guess as to who saved him?"

"Mom?" Ruby asked, her voice quavering. Taiyang nodded gravely.

"Yep. Your mother saved his sorry ass. He owes her, and he knows it. Your father is a lot of things, most of which I hate, but I will give him this. He always pays his debts. He never had the chance to repay Summer when she was alive…so this is his chance to repay her. Besides, unless I misunderstand how it works, he has no one else to pass the company along to. Your sister wasn't trained to run the company like you were, was she?" Weiss shook her head no. "Well, there you go. You have two excellent points to use against him. He's a business man. Make him an offer, and you'll be fine."

Weiss curtsied, smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long."

"Please, call me Tai. Everyone else but these two pain's in the ass do." Ignoring the indignant ' _hey!'_ his daughters threw out, he looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Hmm, something else I forgot…oh, right! Damn it, thanks to you two I owe Qrow a hundred Lien."

"Wait, what? What for?" Ruby asked, cocking her head to the side. Taiyang grumbled.

"He told me you both would end up with girls. I thought for sure Yang would end up with a guy, considering all the catcalls she used to do when she saw one she thought was cute."

Blake glared at Yang, who shrugged helplessly. "What can I say, I have a healthy appreciation for the human form, male or female!" Blake swatted Yang's shoulder, glowering. Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"Wait, but you both thought I'd end up with a girl?"

Taiyang just looked down pityingly at his daughter. "Ruby, every fairy tale we read you that involved a princess, you said you wanted to be the princess's prince charming. C'mon, we all knew you were gay when you were five. Give us some credit, we're not that oblivious."

Weiss arched an eyebrow at Ruby, who rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "So, what, you think you're my prince charming, come to sweep me off my feet and save me from the evil dragon or something?" Weiss asked her girlfriend sharply.

"Uh…maybe?"

Weiss's glare softened. "Well…I guess I can live with that." Ruby smiled, before hugging Weiss to her side and kissing her on the cheek, forgetting her father was in the room for a second. Weiss blushed and pushed Ruby gently away. Taiyang just chuckled.

"Well, I've taken up too much of your time already. I'm in town for at least a few more days, figured I'd take a small vacation while coming here to lecture my daughters on responsibility. We'll have to have dinner together." Ruby and Yang nodded, smiling brightly. "Alright girls, I'm going to stop by Ozpin's office quick, then head back to town. C'mere." He held his arms open for Ruby and Yang to leap in, and gave them a quick crushing hug as they returned the favor. "See ya later girls. Weiss, Blake, try to keep these two out of trouble. I'm sure you're the responsible ones of the team." Weiss giggled as Blake smiled.

"I'll try. I have my ways of reigning Yang in." Blake smirked, causing Weiss to look horrified at Blake as Yang and Ruby giggled. Taiyang just face palmed. "Do _not_ want to know." Turning around, he strode out the door, throwing one last wave as the door shut behind him.


	23. Chapter 23

Weiss took a deep breath, trying to calm her nervousness. Taiyang had invited all four girls out to dinner at some outdoor restaurant called 'The Rascally Rabbit'. Supposedly owned by a rabbit Faunus chef who had a penchant for puns, something Yang was ecstatic about, it wasn't too upscale so the girls of team RWBY had chosen to wear their normal attire. But Weiss was still worried. Their meeting a couple days ago had been fairly easy, but she wanted to make a good impression. It was clear both Ruby and Yang loved their father dearly, and she didn't want to do anything to make him disapprove of her. He'd made his feelings about her father fairly clear, although she didn't blame him. She shared his opinions as it were. A sideways glance to Blake as the four girls exited the Bullhead dropping them off in Vale and she could see Blake's mind was spinning along the same pattern as hers, her bow twitching slightly as she tried to keep herself under control.

Neither of the sisters noticed, both of them too excited to get to spend more time with their father, and apparently excited to 'show off' their girlfriends, at least according to Ruby. The red-head dashed back to Weiss' side and grabbed her hand, smiling brightly at her before leaning in for a quick peck on her cheek.

"Heya Weiss, aren't you excited?" Weiss felt some of the tension leaving her as Ruby gave her that smile, her favorite smile. Weiss lost herself in thought for a moment, thinking about how much she loved Ruby's smile. It was so clear, so pure, it made her think of springtime when everything was so bright and green, flowers blooming and unfurling to welcome the sun after the long winter. Weiss smiled softly back at Ruby, feeling her muscles loosen as she tried to relax.

"Excited isn't the word I'd use Ruby. But, I'm glad you're happy."

Ruby narrowed her eyes slightly at Weiss, catching onto what Weiss wasn't saying. "Weiss, no need to be nervous. Dad likes you! And Blake too! If he didn't, he woulda said so, trust me. Dad doesn't hold back. Yang got her temper from him you know."

Yang nodded from their side, her arm slung around Blake's shoulder. "Yep, that I did. You two need to stop worrying…Dad is happy for us."

"But doesn't he disapprove of the whole intra-team romance?" Weiss asked, voice quiet. Ruby went silent, her face falling, as Yang stiffened slightly. Blake winced and gave Weiss a searching look.

The blonde shook her head, her golden locks flying about for a moment, before answering calmly. "Well, considering mine and Ruby's mother were both on a team with him, I don't think he sees that as an issue." Weiss gulped, suddenly feeling guilty. She had never asked Ruby what happened to their mother, or why they had different names, but that answered some questions…and opened up the door for more. She resolved to ask Yang about it at some point. While she didn't want to hurt Yang any more than she wanted to hurt Ruby, she had noticed Yang seemed to handle mentions of their mothers far better than Ruby did. Ruby was still quiet, her head bowed slightly, hair falling over her eyes. Weiss hated that, hated knowing she'd upset Ruby somehow, and gave a beseeching look to the other duo, unsure how to get Ruby's mind off the issue. Yang gave her a calm smile and a wink, before kissing Blake lightly, making the faunus girl blush slightly at the unexpected affection. Weiss blinked for a brief second, before grabbing Ruby by the shoulders and spinning the younger girl to face her.

Weiss lifted Ruby's face and smashed her lips into Ruby's forcefully, pouring all her love and desires into the kiss. The unexpected kiss threw Ruby for a loop, her mind shutting off blissfully as she returned the favor. Ruby's arms wrapped around Weiss' neck as the two girls fell into a world of their own, interrupted only by a not so subtle cough from Yang, reminding the two girls that they were standing in the middle of an airport and clutching each other in a way that was decidedly not appropriate for public, at least not in Weiss' mind. Weiss looked away, embarrassed, before straightening herself up. "Well, come on, let's go. We have a dinner to get to." The heiress marched off, still holding Ruby's hand. With an indulgent roll of her eyes, Blake smiled at the back of the heiress and started following, grabbing Yang's hand in her own and pulling the willing blonde along.

* * *

It didn't take the four girls long to find the restaurant, it being only ten minutes from the airport. It was situated on the edge of a park, the main section of the restaurant being open air, with large tables covered by sturdy umbrellas scattered about inside a wooden fence, leaving the only entrance the main building which held both the cashiers and the kitchens. Stepping up to the register, a young woman smiled at them as she greeted them. "Hello! Welcome to the Rascally Rabbit! How may we serve you today?" Ruby coughed as Yang elbowed her, glaring at her older sister before responding.

"Umm…hi? We have a reservation with a Taiyang Xiao Long?" The server looked down at her paper, skimming it quickly, before smiling again at the girls.

"Yes you do! Right this way please!" Grabbing up four menus, she led the girls through the building and out to the outdoor patio, leading them to a table situated near the fence where Taiyang was already sitting, chatting calmly with a man neither Blake nor Weiss knew. Ruby and Yang seemed to recognize him though, dashing over to hug him and their father, the four of them laughing as Ruby yelled out.

"Uncle Qrow!" The man Ruby had identified as her uncle laughingly extricated himself from the younger girl's grasp, before getting to his feet and stepping around the sister's and Taiyang to hold his hand out to Weiss and Blake.

"Hello. My name is Qrow, I'm blondie and squirt's uncle."

Weiss shook his hand quickly, confused by his addition as she looked him over. Qrow was as tall as Taiyang, but there the resemblance ended. He was much more slender and lithe, with longer iridescent black hair that was swept back and a lean, angular face. His eyes were a deep brown, with a crooked grin on his face that made him seem welcoming. As he shook hands with Blake, Ruby and Yang both decried his nicknames for him, the two sister's looking so pouty Blake had to fight to hold back her chuckles. Qrow looked at Tai before sighing and rolling his eyes. "He didn't tell any of you I was coming, did he?" At Blake's hesitant nod no, he smacked Tai on the shoulder. "Really Tai?"

Taiyang held his shoulder and glared playfully up at his brother-in-law. "Oh shut up Qrow. I just wanted to have a little fun with the girls."

Qrow snorted, taking his seat next to Taiyang. "Give the poor girls a heart attack. First they have to deal with you, and now me. Don't you think that's a little much to throw at these two, especially with them dating the little monsters?"

Tai just pushed Qrow playfully, before gesturing at the table. "Please, sit girls. I'm sure we don't want to take up too much more of the poor waitress's time."

The four girls sat around the large circular table, Ruby ending up next to her uncle as Yang sat next to their father, the other two girls left between their respective partners. The young woman who had led them to the table and had been standing unobtrusively to the side finally stepped up, her effervescent smile still present.

"Oh it's not a worry at all sir! Please, here are your menus! Can I start you off with some drinks today?" The six quickly rattled off their choices, as the waitress marked them down and nodded. "Alright, those will be right out! I'll be back shortly for your orders!" Smiling, she left, leaving the group in a moment of awkward silence, before Ruby instantly began rattling off new modifications she wanted to do to Crescent Rose to her uncle, who smirked at the youngest member of the group as he listened. Yang started her own conversation with her father, the two sister's rapid speech and clear excitement making both Blake and Weiss share a long suffering look with each other, before Blake giggled quietly and Weiss smiled.

Weiss took note of how close the sister's seemed to be with their father and uncle, having no issues with awkwardness or fear. The heiress found it so strange, so unlike the family gatherings she had been part of. Whenever her family was together for dinner, everything was prim and proper. There was no real conversation, merely her father droning off about his plans, expecting all around him to merely smile and nod. Manners were to be perfect, any mistake instantly punished, everything was to be still and silent, like the dead of winter. Here, it was sunshine, the warmth of that burning star overhead. Even Qrow, a man who seemed to almost fade into the background, was all smiled and joy as he listened to his nieces prattle on, so excited. Weiss' smile faded slightly as she realized this was what family _should_ be, and that she would never have this experience with her own. Glancing over at Blake, she saw the same consternation she was feeling reflected on Blake's face.

As the two girls locked eyes for a moment, Blake leaned over slightly, whispering quietly to the heiress. "I always wondered if this really happened in real life or if this was just another fairy tale like my books. I'm glad it's not."

Weiss nodded, speaking back to Blake in the same quiet tone, making sure not to interrupt her girlfriend or Yang. "Yes. I wish my family was far more like this. Everything at the Schnee house is…frozen. Cold. Cruel. This is something else."

"I wonder how different the world would be if more people were like our girlfriends and their family?" Blake pondered, her eyes glancing over at Weiss' questioningly. Weiss shrugged.

"I don't know. I do know that when I have a real family, not some ice sculptures for parents, I'm going to make sure it's just like this one."

Blake smirked at Weiss, eyes dancing playfully. "Well if you made Ruby your family, I'm sure she'd make sure of it for you."

Weiss sputtered, glaring at the faunus girl, nudging her in the side. "What is it with you two? Yang has been rubbing off on you too much, I swear! Besides, if you like this so much, maybe you should just marry Yang and you can have the same family too!" Blake blushed even as she glared back the heiress, the two holding the glares for a moment before breaking into giggles, catching the attention of their partners.

Ruby plopped her head down on Weiss' shoulder. "Whatcha giggling about Weiss?"

Weiss just smirked at Ruby, flicking her in the forehead. "Don't worry about it, dolt." The warmth in her voice took the sting away from her words, even as Ruby mock pouted at Weiss. The arrival of the waitress back with their drinks interrupted the two, and everyone was quite ready to give their orders.

Though it had taken a few minutes, both Weiss and Blake were eventually able to relax and enjoy their time, even holding conversations with Qrow and Taiyang. Neither of the older men seemed to look down on Weiss or Blake, and they treated them with the same warmth and respect they gave to the sisters. Shortly after everyone had finished their meal and was just sitting around chatting, Taiyang glanced over at Qrow and gave a quick nod, which Qrow returned slowly. Standing up, the dark haired man smiled down at the girls seated at the table.

"Hey, Blondie, Squirt, let's go for a quick walk in the park, what do you say?" It was a fairly transparent attempt to leave Taiyang alone with Blake and Weiss, but Ruby and Yang readily agreed. Weiss gulped, her nervousness back full force, as Blake just looked at Yang beseechingly. The blonde brawler just grinned at her partner and kissed her forehead lightly, as Ruby hugged Weiss. Yang mouthed 'You'll be fine' to the two girls, before winking and strolling off with her uncle and sister. Weiss watched Ruby walk away, before turning her eyes back to the blonde man sitting at the table with his elbows leaning against it, looking at the two of them contemplatively.

"Listen, no need to be nervous, I just wanna talk to you two a bit. It's not bad, I promise you." Blake nodded, trying to calm her nerves, but Weiss still kept refusing to meet his eyes. Taiyang sighed, before giving a brief chuckle as his expression faded to a serious one. "How much do you two of you know about their mothers?"

"Yang told me about her mom and Summer. Told me the story when she went out into the woods looking for her mother and needed saving." Blake said quietly. Taiyang nodded along, before glancing at Weiss.

"But you don't know, do you?" Weiss shook her head. "Well, I'll give a quick explanation, so you understand. Qrow and I also went to Beacon, like you, and were partnered up with each other. We ended up on a team with Qrow's sister Raven and her partner, Summer. Long story short, I and Raven ended up together, and Yang was born. But for reasons none of us ever knew, Raven vanished one day, without any explanation. Qrow was so angry with her for so long, very upset that his sister would just up and disappear on her family…but that's neither here nor there. It may seem odd, but a few years later I and Summer ended up together, and that's when Ruby came along. Summer adopted Yang as soon as we married, and cared for both of them as her own." Taiyang's voice became distant, nostalgic as he gazed off at nothing.

"She was an incredible woman, Summer Rose. An amazing huntress, she could put me on my ass nine times out of ten, and somehow still knew what colors matched with what. Could also make some of the best cookies I've ever had. Really, I'm a hopeless parent, I know almost nothing about children, but Summer, she knew everything. Never could win an argument with her either, she got better grades than I at Beacon too. But one day…one day she left for a hunt, a solo mission, and…didn't come home." Taiyang dropped his head down, his hands clasped tightly on the table before them.

"I couldn't handle it. Unfortunately, Yang and Ruby paid the price for my weakness. I retreated into myself, unable to deal with my grief, and Yang had to step up and grow up. A seven year old trying so hard to care for her five year old sister, and still wanting to know where her mother went. It's my fault she went out that day and nearly died. We were so lucky Qrow came by when he did. Qrow is my brother as much as he is Raven's, and he always had such perfect timing. It was Qrow how eventually made me realize my daughter's still needed me, that though we'd lost both Raven and Summer, we still had their daughters. And truthfully, they look so much like their mothers, it's really amazing." He rubbed one hand over his face, placing his fist in front of his chin as he looked at the two girls seated across from him.

"Those two girls are my whole world. I tell you this, not so you feel sorry for me, but so you know what they went through, and why I am going to ask of you what I'm going to ask. I've heard from Ozpin a lot about the two of you, and I know you both also suffered far more than any child should suffer. With your father the way he is Weiss, I imagine you still have to suffer. But I'm going to selfishly ask something of the two of you, as a father. I know every expression that crosses those two girls faces. I've been with them since the day they were born, and I know how they think. They love you, as deeply as they possibly can. It's obvious to me they see you far differently than anyone else they've ever seen. There comes a time in every parent's life where you have to accept your place as the most important person in your child's life has been supplanted, and that time for me is now. It's clear to me how much those two care for you. And honestly, from what I know of you, I couldn't be happier. I can see how much you care for them as well, and that's the only thing that matters to me. You make my daughters happy, Weiss, Blake. So I have this request of you." Taiyang spread his hands out helplessly on the table, gesturing to both girls seated before him.

"Just keep making them happy. That's all I want to ask of you. Just keep them happy. Love them as they love you, and I will always support you in every endeavor you undertake, just as I would support them. You matter to my daughters, and thusly you matter to me. I want it made clear, that if you need anything, you can ask me. Or Qrow, as he asked me to pass the same message on to you. That's all I have to ask of you, and all I have to say." Taiyang leaned back in his seat, waiting patiently to see if Weiss or Blake had anything to say.

Blake was lost. She never expected anything like this from Yang's father. Yang had always spoken so highly of her father, but a part of Blake simply couldn't believe it. She had no idea what happened to her own parents, and the adults in the White Fang were simply too focused on their cause to act warm or loving. To care. Blake didn't know parents like this existed. The young faunus girl blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears that built up in her eyes from falling, even as she glanced at Weiss, seeing the heiress looking much the same as her. Blake cleared her throat, trying to get some semblance of control back, before speaking. "Thank you, Tai. Thank you. I promise, I'll do everything I can to make Yang happy. I promise." Weiss nodded rapidly, unable to speak. Taiyang just smiled softly at the two girls, before looking over to see Qrow and the two sisters returning, Ruby clinging to Qrow's back like a monkey as he laughed heartily.

Ruby leapt off her uncles back and plopped down next to Weiss, a bit thrown off when Weiss instantly kissed her cheek and laid her head on Ruby's shoulder happily, a small smile gracing her pale face. Yang slid into her seat next to Blake and hugged the faunus to her side, instantly noticing something off as Blake cuddled into her. "Something wrong, Blakey?"

Blake just smiled through her watery eyes and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's right."

* * *

Ruby let out a surprised grunt as her back hit the wall, but couldn't manage any words since Weiss had practically leapt into her arms and had her mouth current fused to Ruby's. Ruby wasn't sure what was up with Weiss…ever since they had left dinner, she'd been clingier than usual, and as soon as she got Ruby alone she'd jumped the reaper and left her no time to respond. Not that Ruby was going to complain, affectionate Weiss was one of her favorite things, but it was rather sudden. She really wanted to know what her father had said to the heiress, but the white-haired princess was making it really difficult to concentrate. Weiss suddenly broke the kiss, but before Ruby could say a word the heiress had pulled her head down and nipped on her ear. Ruby lost control over herself, letting out a hiss as her entire body tightened, goosebumps rippling down her arms as she clamped them around Weiss. Ruby cleared her throat, trying to speak, which was becoming very difficult with how Weiss was now nibbling on her neck.

"W-Weiss? Is some-something wrong?" Ruby panted out, eyes rolling back in her head as Weiss kept tormenting her. Weiss smiled brightly at Ruby, her smile at odds with her actions.

"No. Nothing's wrong. I'm just really happy." Weiss slowly kissed along Ruby's jaw, nipping every few kisses. Ruby squeezed her eyes shut for a second, trying to keep her mind on her line of questioning.

"Not that it's a bad thing, but why so happy?" Ruby managed, grabbing Weiss gently and lifting her face from her neck to look into the shorter girl's eyes. Weiss shrugged, kissing Ruby lightly on the lips.

"I like your dad. He's a good person. I see how you and Yang ended up the way you did."

Ruby cocked her head at Weiss, confused. "What did he say to you and Blake?"

Weiss looked away sheepishly. "He asked us to keep making you two happy. He said he could tell how happy I make you…I didn't know it was that big a deal."

Ruby nodded, smiling down at Weiss herself. "You make me happier than anyone ever did, Weiss. Don't forget that, ok?"

Weiss nodded, snuggling into Ruby's neck and sighing happily. "It's nice to feel wanted for me, not for what I can do. I wish your father was my father."

Ruby smirked down at Weiss, speaking with deliberate casualness. "Well, maybe he will be, someday."

Weiss scoffed, smacking Ruby on the shoulder gently. "What is it with you three? It's a bit early to be talking about marriage, don't you think?"

Ruby shrugged, arms still around Weiss. "Maybe. But I don't care. It's how I see my future already."

Weiss lifted her head off Ruby's shoulder slowly, looking straight into the younger girl's silver eyes. "You mean that?"

Ruby nodded, her expression far more solemn than moments before. "Of course. I love you Weiss. I'll always love you."

Weiss dropped her head back to Ruby's shoulder, kissing it softly. "I love you too, dunce." The two girls just held each other for a few moments, basking in the silence and comfort, before a ringing sound from Weiss's pocket made her roll her eyes and sigh. Grabbing her scroll, she looked up at Ruby without bothering to see who was on it. "Hold on a moment please." Ruby nodded, watching as Weiss took a step back from her and hit the button on her scroll. A smooth female voice came across.

"Lady Schnee, your father wishes to inform you he will be in the Vale branch of the Schnee Dust Company tomorrow, and wishes to see you in his office no later than noon. Please take note of the time." With a click, the scroll shut off, leaving Weiss staring at her scroll, fear bright in her eyes. Ruby placed her hand on Weiss's shoulder, making Weiss look up at her.

"It's okay Weiss. I'll go with you, and we'll take care of it. It's time you stood up to him. I'll be right there by your side, okay?" Weiss took a deep breath to steady herself, before nodding back at Ruby. She took Ruby's hand in her own, squeezing it tight, before leading the way back to their room. She had some preparations to make.


	24. Chapter 24

Weiss paced back and forth in the small dorm room, the other three members of team RWBY watching her worriedly. The heiress' arms were clasped behind her back, leaning slightly forward as she walked, her lips moving barely as she rehearsed what she was going to say. Back and forth, back and forth, Ruby was starting to feel like she was watching a game of tennis with how much her head was swiveling to follow Weiss. She started to get up, but Blake beat her to the punch, grabbing Weiss' arm and stopping her in mid-stride.

"Weiss, I want you to promise me something." Blake felt guilty, knowing that she was playing on Weiss' guilt to get her to agree to this, but she felt it was for the heiress' own good. Weiss nodded instantly, fervently, her eyes showing a bit of a manic gleam. "Promise me that if he tries to make you choose between Ruby and keeping your other promise to me, you choose Ruby." Ruby and Yang's jaws dropped as Weiss froze, the gleam fading from her eyes as she tried to process what Blake had just said.

"But…Blake, what about-" before Weiss could finish her sentence, Blake cut her off with an upraised hand.

"That will always be important to me, and yes, I really was hoping you could make a difference. I believe in you to do so. But not if you have to sacrifice your and Ruby's happiness for it. You guys are my family now. I'm not having our family be broken up over some company." Weiss blinked, shocked, but before she could respond her and Blake were tackled by their leader, who was hugging with a strength to rival Yang's. Ruby had her head buried in Blake's shoulder, mumbling something no one else could make out, but when Blake felt the tears hitting her shoulder, she pushed Ruby up so she could look at the younger girl's face. Ruby smiled, eyes watery, as she wiped tears away with her sleeve.

"Thanks Blake. Team RWBY's never gonna be broken up! Ever! But you don't have to worry…he won't make Weiss make that choice. I won't let him. I don't care what it takes." Blake chuckled slightly, patting Ruby on the back, even as Weiss sighed heavily, still crushed to the floor next to Blake as Ruby lay half on top of both girls. A squeak sounded from the red-head as Yang's arms lifted her up off the two other girls, laughing at the three tangled up on the floor.

"Alright, up you go Ruby. Let these two breathe sometime." Ruby pouted at Yang, squirming as the blonde held her in the air, letting Weiss and Blake get to their feet. Blake just chuckled, turning back to Weiss to see how she was holding up.

For the first time that morning, Weiss smiled, her face lit up at the sight of her new family supporting her and caring about her. In what was an extremely unusual circumstance, Weiss, the prickly ice queen herself, laughed heartily before yanking Blake and Yang, the latter still holding Ruby in her arms, into a massive bear hug, squeezing her arms tight around the three people most important to her. She took a deep breath, releasing the shocked trio, before nodding sharply. "I'm ready."

* * *

Weiss took a deep breath, staring up at the building marked 'Schnee Dust Company: Vale Office'. Ruby stood next to her, looking over her, concerned. Weiss shook her head, deliberately grabbing Ruby's hand and interlacing her fingers with the younger girls. Seeing the look on Ruby's face, Weiss spoke.

"I won't hide this. I am a Schnee. We do not hide. We stand proud and tall. I'm proud to be with you, Ruby. I won't let him take that away from us." Ruby smiled softly at Weiss, squeezing her hand and squaring her own shoulders, ready to take on whatever was thrown at them.

Together, the two girls entered the building, feeling a blast of cool dry air hit them from the building's air conditioning. Stepping into a wide atrium, Ruby looked around, a bit in awe at the brilliant shining steel and white motif, with the harsh glow of fluorescent lights slightly blinding them. Everything was in shades of white and light blue, with the occasional chrome finish from highly polished steel glinting in the lights. The entire atrium was abandoned save for one lone secretary sitting at the front desk, giving a bright yet clearly fake smile towards the girls. Weiss ignored the secretary, marching straight back towards an elevator and sliding a white keycard through the reader next to it. A chime sounded before the doors opened, and Weiss yanked Ruby inside, making the red-head wince slightly, but quickly schooling her expression before Weiss could see her wince.

Weiss hit the fourteen button on the elevator wall, denoting the top floor, before taking a shuddering breath once more, eyes closed. Ruby rubbed her thumb gently over the back of Weiss' knuckles, making the heiress look up at her with worried eyes. Ruby smiled softly at her, keeping silent but making sure Weiss knew she was here for her. Weiss nodded, before the ding of the elevator announced their arrival at the top floor. Weiss' grip on Ruby's hand tightened as the doors opened, striding out with Ruby following right by her side. Ruby tried to march proudly as Weiss was, hoping to give off a good impression, following the heiress down a long featureless hallway towards a single door at the end of the hall. Standing before the simple steel door, Weiss closed her eyes once more, before pushing softly on the door, letting it swing open.

The office of the head of the Schnee Dust Company was in a word, austere. It was rather simple, albeit with an excellent view of the city from the large bay of windows along the wall opposite the door. Besides that, the office held a large dark mahogany desk, with three seats arranged on the side nearest the door, and one seat currently unoccupied behind the desk. Standing at the window, arms clasped behind his back as he stared out into the city, was the man Ruby took to be Alexander Schnee. He spun about, giving Ruby a clear view of him. Impeccably dressed in a white three piece suit, with a shock of neatly combed white hair atop his head, he stood. His face was handsome, with piercing hazel eyes, and a still expression on his face. He was not the tallest of men, only barely taller than Ruby, but he had a commanding presence that could not be ignored. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at their joined hands, scanning Ruby from head to toe as his lips went to a thin flat line. A moment later, he sat at his desk, posture perfectly straight as he glanced at the two girls, clearly expecting them to follow his example. Ruby went to sit, but Weiss just stared her father down and refused to move for a moment, before seating herself next to Ruby, holding the same posture as he did.

"Weiss." He spoke simply in greeting, his voice flat.

"Father." Was the only reply Weiss gave him, her voice equally as cold.

"Have you forgotten your manners at that school? Introduce us," came the clipped statement from him, his tone clearly expecting compliance. Weiss lifted her hand, joined as it was with Ruby's.

"Ruby, this is my father, Alexander Schnee. Father, this is Ruby Rose, my girlfriend." At the last word Weiss spoke, he took a deep hissing breath, his nostrils flaring momentarily, but his expression did not change in the slightest.

"Weiss. You already know what I will say to you. No. End this."

Weiss glared at her father, her neutral expression cracking. "I will not. Ruby is my girlfriend, and she will stay my girlfriend. I don't care if you approve or not."

His eye twitched for a brief moment. "You are my heir, Weiss. You cannot follow this sort of…experiment, as a proper daughter of the Schnee household."

"This isn't an experiment, _father_." Weiss' voice hissed on the last word, her glare intensifying. "I love her, and she loves me."

Slowly, Alexander leaned forward, placing his hands on his desk, his cold stare matching his daughter's. "You have a duty to this family, Weiss. You have a responsibility to take over from me, and produce an heir to continue the Schnee line. I can see this school has done nothing but disrupt your education. You must return to Atlas with me. It is time we settled this foolishness about being a huntress."

Weiss rolled her eyes at her father. "Are you deaf, father? I already said no! I am not leaving Ruby, I am not leaving Beacon, _the only thing I'm leaving is your plan for me!_ " Weiss' voice rose to a shriek as she spoke, making her father's head snap back in surprise at her unexpected vehemence. His neutral expression cracked as he growled back at Weiss, both Schnee's utterly ignoring Ruby's presence.

"I am the head of this family, and I will not have it tarnished by this…thing!" His gesture at Ruby made Weiss about ready to explode, but the sound of Ruby's barking out a mocking laugh made both Schnee's stop for a moment, turning to look at the red-head as she looked at Weiss' father as though he were a bug.

Ruby muttered to herself, but it was loud enough for the other occupants of the room to head. "Dad was right. Mom should have just let you die." Capitalizing on Ruby's statement, Weiss instantly shot to her feet.

"Don't say that about Ruby! You owe her, because you owe her mother! Her mother saved your life, remember, _father!?_ Ruby _Rose!_ " At the repeat of Ruby's last name, Alexander blinked, before his face twisted into a snarl.

"I owe her mother, silly girl, not her! If Summer wants me to pay her back this way, she should be here herself!"

Weiss gaped at him in disbelief, not believing he would say such a thing, even as Ruby leapt to her feet and slammed her hands on the desk. Leaning forward so she was staring straight into his eyes, her own snarl in place on her face, she growled directly into his face. "My mother's _dead_!" For the first time that meeting, Alexander's face dropped its angry expression into one of shock.

" _What?_ " came the whispered response, true disbelief evident in his voice. "When?"

Ruby dropped back into her chair, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked away from him, trying to control her voice as she spat out. "She's been gone for ten years. Not that you'd care."

His eyes narrowed at Ruby. "Listen here little girl. Summer meant a lot to me, regardless of what your father may think. She was a friend."

Ruby scoffed. "Mother would never be friends with the likes of a racist like you!"

Alexander slammed his hand down on his desk, the impact knocking a small file off his desk, the papers scattering onto the floor. "Say what you want child, Summer _was_ my friend! She did not agree with my business practices, and she had no problem telling me that to my face, but she was my friend. I cared for her! I cannot believe your father never told me!"

Ruby gaped at him, eye twitching. Her hand slowly slid back towards the handle of Crescent Rose, arm shaking as she tried to keep control over herself. Weiss kept throwing worried glances Ruby's way, concerned she was going to lose it entirely. "Don't you dare blame my Dad! He loved Mom! He was busy grieving over his dead _wife_!"

Alexander closed his eyes briefly, his entire form shaking, before he took a deep breath and settled back into a carefully neutral expression. "Let me try another tact. Please, tell me what happened to Summer. Please." Weiss blinked, shocked, having never heard her father say 'please' in her entire life. Ruby glanced at Weiss, who nodded nigh-imperceptibly. Ruby swallowed, before glaring at him.

"She went out on a solo hunt when I was five and didn't come home! That's it. She went out and didn't come back. She never came back…" Ruby's voice trailed off at the end, her glare fading as she looked away from him, gripping the edges of her cloak tightly. Alexander fell back in his seat, his expression falling into one of shock and for a moment, sadness, before he took a shuddering breath.

"I never would have thought that was possible. Summer was far too talented…"

Weiss couldn't stop herself from asking. "Ten years and you didn't think anything was wrong? If you were friends, wouldn't that have been your first clue?"

Alexander sighed, looking down at his desk. "The last time we spoke, we argued. She told me she would not speak to me again until I changed my business practices involving those crea-Faunus. I just thought she was keeping her word. She always did."

"So my mom's friendship wasn't worth enough to you to change. I see how it is." Ruby's remark was scathing, sarcasm laden in every word in a way Weiss was finding very disconcerting. Both girls were shocked to hear a sad chuckle come from Alexander.

"Funny. She said nearly the same thing to me that day. Well, that is unimportant. She'll have plenty of time to yell at me soon enough."

Weiss blinked at him, his statement making no sense. "What do you mean by that?"

He looked Weiss dead in the eye and spoke flatly. "I'm dying, Weiss. Summer saved me that day, but she could not save me forever. I was poisoned, and though she got the antidote to me in time, that was nearly fifteen years ago. The antidotes have come a long way since then, but the antidotes back then were at best a delaying tactic. Though they eventually came up with a better antidote, the damage is already done to my heart and lungs. I will not survive longer than three years. And that is why I must be certain our legacy is in _place!_ "

"Father…" Weiss said, her voice broken and tinny, eyes wide with disbelief. Ruby grabbed her hand and squeezed it, before turning back to Alexander.

"Don't you even care about your daughters' happiness?"

He scoffed at Ruby, looking affronted. "Of course I do! But this…this isn't happiness! It's unnatural! Immoral! Disgusting!"

"Think what you want Mr. Schnee. But we don't care. If you wanna pay my mom back, then let this go. Let us go. I'll protect your daughter until my dying breath. How's that for a guaranteed legacy?"

He closed his eyes and hissed through his teeth. "It's not just that. You cannot have children together! How can I be certain the Schnee line won't die with you?"

"I'm not some baby making machine, Father! I'm allowed to have a choice!"

Alexander threw his hands up in the air, clearly at his wits end. "Weiss, you know we have to make certain sacrifices for this family!"

Weiss glared, her own hand forming a fist and slamming onto his desk. "Family? You've never cared about the family, you've only cared about the company!"

 _"They are the same thing!"_ came his resounding roar back at Weiss, his composure slipping once more. Weiss slowly shook her head, pity on her face.

"No Father. They aren't. I've seen what a real family is. Its love, and kindness, and compassion. Its caring about what people want, not what's 'best' for them. It's about loving them over everything else…especially over a silly company. It's what Summer made with Tai. What they built with Ruby and Yang. That's a family, Father. It's about choices. Choices to be what you want to be, not what someone else chooses for you. My choice is Ruby. You can choose to disown me, cut me off, whatever you want. But I'm staying with Ruby, no matter what." He looked down and places his head in his hands, running them through his perfectly combed hair, mussing it up as he sighed and spoke softly.

"Do you understand what you are getting yourselves into? You realize you will be vilified by everyone who disapproves of…this?"

"We know, and we don't care. If they have a problem with us, they can say it to Crescent Rose!" Ruby proclaimed, nodding proudly. Alexander stood up swiftly, crossing to stare out the window overlooking the city, back in the pose he had been in when they had first entered.

"You are so much like your mother, Miss Rose. So very stubborn, and convinced you can fight anything, defeat anything. You look so much like her…" his voice trailed off at the end, before he sighed. "I will not stand in your way. My debt to Summer is hereby repaid. But Weiss…promise me you will continue our legacy somehow. Promise me you will not fail this company. Your grandfather built it, and it is important to this world. Whether you like it or not, the world needs our Dust as much as they need hunters." Weiss nodded slowly.

"I promise Father. I will not fail. I will fix everything."

He kept his back turned to the girls, before lifting one hand in farewell. "Very well. You may leave. And Weiss? Your sister misses you. You should call her sometime." With that addendum, he fell silent, standing statue still at the window. Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her along, letting the door fall closed behind them, cutting off the image of the man at the window.


	25. Chapter 25

Ruby led Weiss carefully to their dorm, keeping a worried eye on her. The older girl had not spoken since they had left her father's office, her face neutral. Ruby decided not to push her, and simply held onto her hand tightly as they walked back into Beacon. Weiss' stance was proud and firm, like usual, but Ruby noticed how tightly the heiress was squeezing her hand. The younger girl kept her mouth shut though…time spent dating Weiss had taught her Weiss needed time to process her feelings whenever something big came along before she would be ready to talk about it.

The journey back to their dorm room took little time, but the two girls stopped short at the sight of Azure at their door, hand lifted as though he were about to knock, before he caught sight of the two girls arriving. He waved casually, broad smile on his face, although it fell when he looked closer at the two girls. He narrowed his eyes at the two, but Ruby shook her head slightly, and he nodded in return.

"Well, your timing is good. I was just going to tell you we found out how the report got tampered with…but I can come back if now is not a good time?"

Weiss swallowed slightly, before looking Azure dead in the eye. "Now is fine. But may we have this discussion in the dorm? I would rather not have it in the hallway." Weiss' voice was subdued, so unlike her Azure and Ruby shared a concerned glance. Azure nodded sharply, stepping away from the door so Ruby could unlock it. He followed the two girls into the room, blinking once…twice…thrice.

"You...made bunk beds…with ropes and books?" His voice was incredulous, before he closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm not sure if I'm impressed or scared." Ruby chuckled slightly, but her mirth faded off when Weiss had no reaction, merely sat on her bed with her posture perfect. Ruby looked around curiously, wondering where Blake and Yang had gone off to, before noticing a small note on her dresser. Zipping over, she picked it up and read its contents, before shrugging.

"Well, guess Yang and Blake went on a date in the city. Looks like it's just us!"

Azure shrugged, taking a seat at Ruby's desk chair and holding up his scroll in hand. "Well, I'll make this quick. Our technician's found a trojan in the Beacon computer network. You see, scouting reports come into the system in a particular format, and this little gem was designed to stay quiescent until a report came in. Jaune's observation about them all being off by three was telling…it was a very subtle little program. It just altered distance counts by three, every time. Since it was a blanket change across the report, no one noticed. And then the program would shut itself off again, hiding in the system. I don't quite understand the technical details, but that's what the tech's told me. They've since wiped it and are busy creating a new algorithm to scan all reports for last altered timestamp, but for now we're going to go over every report that comes in by hand to be safe." Azure sat back for a second, looking over the two girls, before cocking his head at Weiss, who had not moved from her position.

"Weiss?" Weiss' blank look faded as she looked directly at Azure, a slight tilt in her head giving him permission to continue. "Remember, my office is open." Weiss closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, before opening her eyes and nodding at Azure. He nodded at her and Ruby, before getting to his feet. "Well, that's all I came to update you on. If you need anything, you know where to find me. I'll leave you two be." As he walked out, he gave a reassuring pat on Ruby's shoulder, smiling softly at her and Weiss before closing the door behind him.

Ruby waited patiently for Weiss to react, trying to staying still and silent next to Weiss. She was not expecting Weiss to give an exasperated sigh and flick her in the forehead. Letting out a squeak, she glared at Weiss, to see the heiress looking at her with an unamused expression.

"You dunce. It doesn't help for you to try to be still, not when I know what you're thinking. I know you're worried about me. But don't be. I'm ok."

Ruby slid closer to Weiss, letting their shoulders touch as she spoke softly. "You're not, Weiss. Don't lie to me, please."

Weiss sighed, looking down at the floor. "I will be."

Ruby gave Weiss an unamused look. "Weiss…talk to me. Please?"

Weiss flinched slightly as Ruby's hand grasped her own, before slowly gripping Ruby's hand back. "I just…I don't know what to do. I _hate_ that man for what he's done, to the Faunus, to my family, to so many people. But something inside me still hurts at the thought of him dying. Is that wrong of me? He's my father! He didn't really raise me, but he's still…my father." Weiss' voice trailed off at the end, going to a near whisper. Ruby placed her hand gently on the bottom of Weiss' chin and lifted her head up, looking directly into her watery ice blue eyes.

"I don't think it's wrong. And I don't think Blake or Yang would either."

Weiss blinked rapidly, trying to hold her tears back. "If he dies soon, what then? I'll have to take the company over as soon as I graduate. Yes, it's a good chance to fix things, but I don't even know where to begin! And I wanted to have some time to be a huntress…I wanted to actually go out and help people too, with you. With Blake and Yang. With JNPR, and even Sun's team. I wanted to be out in the world doing something before I took over! I was hoping for so much more time. What are we going to do? He was right, people are going to be all over me if I'm dating another girl! The press will have a field day! We'll get paparazzi saying all sorts of salacious and cruel things about us and I don't want you to deal with that and-" Weiss had been slowly growing more and more frantic as she spoke, her words flooding out rapidly, before Ruby interrupted her with a soft kiss, cutting off her voice as she found her mouth very busy. Weiss returned the kiss, a tear escaping her eyes as the younger girl wrapped her arms around the heiress, pulling her close.

Breaking the kiss slowly, Ruby kissed Weiss' cheek where the tear had left a trail, before kissing her other cheek, her eyelids, and then her forehead. Sliding her hands up to cup Weiss' cheek between them, Ruby made sure Weiss was looking directly at her.

"Weiss, I don't _care_ what the media says or does. I don't care what anyone says. And who says you can't be a huntress? I can't imagine you'd be so busy you could never go on missions. Your dad might live for the company, but I don't think he _needs_ to. I think it's just what he wants to do. But it doesn't _matter_ Weiss! I'm not letting this team be broken up. Weiss, you're gonna change the world. You're gonna fix it, for everyone your dad hurt. And I'm gonna be right beside you, and so are your friends. Blake will be right there to help you too, she'll tell you what needs to be done. If anyone gets in your way, me and Yang'll take care of them for you. Especially Yang. You know she'll break anyone who tries to stop you from fixing things. We're here for you Weiss. _I'm_ here for you. I'll be here forever Weiss, cause I'll always love you." Ruby punctuated her words with a quick strong kiss, willing her feelings to be sent through it.

Weiss just stared at Ruby, the tears that had been gathering in her eyes slowly fading away as she gazed at the younger girl in awe. Here was acceptance. Ruby just kept giving and giving and giving, and Weiss had no idea how she had been so lucky to have someone as kind and pure and loving as her partner, both in combat and in life. Weiss threw her arms around Ruby, burying her head in Ruby's shoulder as she sniffled, breathing in the ever-present scent of roses that exuded from the red-head. She smiled slightly as Ruby's arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"Ok," Weiss breathed out softly, before mumbling something into Ruby's shoulder.

"What?"

Weiss lifted her head up to look at Ruby, a small smile on her face. "I love you Ruby Rose. I promise you, I won't take you for granted. You are amazing, and I couldn't be happier you chose me. I love you so much."

Ruby smiled back at Weiss, pecking her on the lips. " _You're_ the amazing one. I'm just lowly little Ruby, and you came down from above to bless me with your presence." Weiss scoffed, about to argue the point, when the two girls were thrown violently from the bed they were seated on, a tremendous explosion sounding out. Leaping to their feet, the two girls were startled a second time by the loud screeching of the alarm siren, denoting an emergency. The sound of shouts and yells from outside had Ruby rushing to the window, looking out into the distance to see a massive plume of smoke rising from the city of Vale, followed by her nearly falling again as another explosion rocked the city, a second spiral of smoke rising. Ruby gaped at the scene for a moment, before her eyes widened with fear. Spinning around to Weiss who had just gotten to her feet once more, Ruby uttered one sentence, voice a whisper.

"Yang and Blake are in the city." Weiss nodded, her expression grim, as she grabbed Ruby's hand and dashed through the door, pulling the younger girl with her.

* * *

Yang strolled down the street, hand casually holding Blake's as she swung their arms as though she were a child, a huge grin lighting up her face. The warm spring breeze carried on it numerous scents from the city, delicious food from bakeries and restaurants, the slightly acrid smell of exhaust, some smoke from pipes and the like. She glanced over to look at her girlfriend, smirking slightly as she leaned over and kissed the faunus on her cheek. Blake glanced at Yang, raising an eyebrow.

"What was that for?"

Yang shrugged slightly as she continued to smile. "Just kissin' the prettiest girl to walk the planet, that's all. And she's all mine."

Blake blushed lightly, still unused to such effusive praise. "Oh, shush you." Yang just hip bumped Blake as they walked, making the faunus stumble slightly before glaring at Yang, returning the favor. Yang chuckled, before her eyes lit up as she looking up.

"Oooh, we have to try that!" Blake felt herself being yanked along, not giving her a chance to protest as she struggled to keep her feet, rolling her eyes. She'd long ago accepted that life around Yang, and to a lesser extent Ruby, meant being dragged places was the norm. At least she had a fellow sufferer in her pain in Weiss. Finally Yang stopped, leading to Blake colliding with the blonde's back for a moment, dazing her. Looking up, the faunus saw that Yang had dragged her to some sort of open street faire, complete with numerous barkers and what looked like some carnival games. Yang was carefully eyeing the strongman game, grinning gleefully as she looked down at Blake for permission.

Blake sighed. "Yes, go ahead. But don't break it!" Yang's grin lit up the day even more, dazzling Blake for a brief moment and reminding her why she couldn't have said no in the first place. Yang casually strolled over to the game, standing amongst the crowd as the barker extolled the virtues of strength and how this game was not for the weak. When he asked for challengers, Yang let go of Blake's hand and sauntered into the open, hands on hips. The barker lifted one eyebrow at her.

"Coming to sign your boyfriend up?"

Yang smirked at the older man. "Nope, all me. Plus its girlfriend, thanks. Here." Tossing the man a couple of Lien, Yang strolled over and lifted up the hammer one handed, resting it on her shoulders casually. Looking over her shoulder at the barker, she grasped the hammer in both hands, and keeping eye contact with the smirking game operator, she returned his smirk before smashing the hammer down. The puck instantly sprung to the top, slamming into the bell with enough force to crack it, the discordant ringing cutting off in a moment as the bell fell down at the feet of the operator. Yang shrugged, dropping the hammer next to the game, before strolling past the barker, but not before calling out over her shoulder. "Oops." Yang's smirk faded as she saw Blake, arms crossed over her chest, eyes narrowed, foot tapping restlessly on the ground. Yang chuckled nervously as she ran her hand through her mane, looking down at the ground.

"Yang, what did I say about breaking it?"

Yang fidgeted slightly. "It's not my fault it was weak!"

Blake's foot halted in its tapping as the faunus sighed. "Sometimes blondie, I feel like I'm your babysitter more than your girlfriend."

Yang looked up at Blake, arms crossed behind her back as she put on the most innocent looking face she could. "But you loooooove me anyways, doncha kitty cat?" she drawled out, swaying slightly. Blake's stern gaze twitched for a brief moment, but she couldn't hold it against Yang's best impression of a little kid. She sighed and rolled her eyes, uncrossing her arms.

"Yeah yeah…c'mon, let's go somewhere else, before you break some _thing_ else."

Yang nodded happily, taking Blake's hand in her own as they left the street the faire was on. Yang paused in thought for a moment, before turning to Blake as they continued to walk. "Hey, Blake?" Blake tilted her head at Yang, silently giving permission to continue. "Where do you live? Besides Beacon, I mean." Blake blinked at Yang, not expecting the question. She briefly thought about lying, but knew Yang would see right through her. She really didn't want to tell Yang though, because she knew how the blonde would react. Shaking her head slightly, she sighed inwardly, knowing she should be honest with her girlfriend.

"I don't have a place to live. But it's ok. Ozpin told me I can stay on campus over summer break." As she feared, Blake watched as Yang's eyes narrowed at the proclamation, the worry clearly reflected in the blonde's lilac eyes. Blake braced herself for the blonde to either become overwhelmingly sad for her, or for her to get angry at her situation, but neither one happened. Yang stopped where she was walking, her head twitching back and forth as she sniffed at the air.

Something felt off to Yang. Some sense within her was tingling, even as she noted the odd fact the street she and Blake were on was completely empty, not a soul in sight. Before she could comment on it, she and Blake were both lifted off their feet and slammed into the wall as a shockwave smashed into the two of them, a cacophonous explosion sounding nearby, flames shooting high into the sky a few streets over. As Yang stumbled to her feet and dashed to Blake's side, Blake opened her eyes, wincing.

"What happened?"

Yang glanced around, unsure, but feeling very exposed. "I don't know, but we have to get moving, who knows what caused that. I think it's best if we-" Yang's speech was cut off by another shockwave and explosion smashed the two of them back to the ground, the concrete wall they had been thrown into previously demolished by this latest blast, sending dust and gravel down on top of the two girls. Their aura's protected them from the worst of it, but the bruises still were darkening Blake's skin even as Yang's hair began to glow, a sure sign of both her rising anger and the blows that were triggering her semblance. Yang swiftly leapt to her feet, pulling Blake with her, tamping down on the aches she was feeling as she started running back towards the CCT tower and away from the explosions, pulling the stumbling Blake behind her. Blake kept her ears flat against her skull, her head aching from the pain in her sensitive ears, as she blindly followed Yang.

Screams of pain and shouts for help rang out across the city, the sound of sirens blasting as emergency personnel sped by. A ringing from Yang's scroll had her quickly glance down to see Ruby's name on it. Yang grabbed it in her free hand and flipped it open to see Ruby's worried gaze on it, the red-head panting slightly. The worry on her face faded slightly as Ruby saw Yang was ok.

"Yang! Where are you? Is Blake with you? Are you guys ok? Are-"Ruby's frantic rant was interrupted by Weiss, pulling the scroll from the younger girl's hands.

"Let her speak, Ruby. Yang?"

Yang nodded, slightly out of breath as she ran. "Blake's with me, we're fine. We're headed towards the CCT."

Weiss nodded, glancing back at Ruby. "Alright. We'll meet you there. Be careful." Before Yang could insist the two girls stayed out of the city, the scroll connection cut off. Yang cursed under her breath, pausing for a moment so she and Blake could catch their breath. Looking back worriedly at the faunus, Blake coughed slightly before waving her hand in a gesture of dismissal.

"I'm ok Yang. Let's keep going. We don't want to worry those two anymore than we have to."

Yang nodded, dashing back off towards the tower. It took them little time to reach it, emerging from the south side of the wide plaza. Most of the plaza was deserted, people having fled in an attempt to hide from whatever was going on, which made it very easy to spot Ruby and Weiss. Ruby let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Yang and Blake walking towards them, nudging Weiss to get her attention. Weiss smiled softly at seeing the two headed their way.

Yang paused in place. Something hit her senses, her instincts telling her something was wrong. Eyes narrowed, she turned slightly, looking at the wall to her right, a tiny brief flare of red dashing across the wall, making her eyes widen. In a flash of time, Yang had spun, pulling Blake from her feet and lifting her into her arms, and with a great heave, throwing the dark haired girl towards Ruby and Weiss. Even as Blake flew through the air, eyes wide in shock, the other three girls of team RWBY watched helplessly as a massive eruption of flame ripped through the building next to Yang, the blonde instantly disappearing into the burst of flame. Blake's agonized cry rang out, her voice screaming hoarsely.

"YANG! NO!"


	26. Chapter 26

Blake's legs couldn't hold her up anymore. She fell to her knees, hands shaking, eyes wide as she stared at the dying flames. The cylinder of flame had blasted clean from one building into another, leaving a gaping, molten hole in both building's walls. Blake's voice wouldn't work anymore, unable to comprehend what she had seen. Her heart felt like it had been incinerated away with that fiery blast she had just witnessed, and the last view she had of Yang's golden hair disappearing into the inferno. Weiss' hands were over her mouth, horror written across her face, glancing back and forth between Blake and the spot where Yang had once stood. Desperately trying to control herself, she glanced over at Ruby, terrified to see how Ruby was taking it. Weiss' jaw dropped when she saw Ruby's expression.

Ruby was standing there, with a confused look on her face as she looked at Blake, eyebrow arched. Weiss just gaped at Ruby for a moment, before opening her mouth. "Ruby? Aren't you…upset?"

Ruby looked taken aback at the question. "Why would I be upset?"

Blake's own pain dropped off her as she rounded on Ruby, leaping to her feet, fury in her eyes. "Don't you even _care_ about your sister?! _"_

Weiss stepped forward, moving to intercept Blake before she could do something she'd regret, but froze at Ruby's nonchalant giggle. "Wait, is that what you're upset about? Psh. Guys, Yang is fine. She's fireproof!" Blake's jaw dropped as Weiss blinked. Ruby cocked her head at them. "You guys didn't know that? I mean, c'mon guys, she sets _herself_ on fire all the time! Yeah, shrapnel and shockwaves can hurt her, but her aura protects her from those. That was pretty much all fire though. Looked like some kind of burn dust to me." Blake felt her heart beat again, hope rising inside her as Ruby flitted over to the hole in the wall, rose petals floating behind her. Peering down into the hole in the wall the flames had impacted, Ruby narrowed her eyes.

"Yang! Get up! Blake is worried sick about you! You forgot to tell them about being fireproof!"

Blake's entire being was suffused with joy when she heard the reply from within, Yang's voice sounding unsure. "Umm…I can't."

Ruby sighed exasperatedly. "Oh don't give me that Yang, just get out here! That's an order!" A sigh was heard from within the building, before a rumbling sounded as a small cloud of dust flew out of the building. A hand came from within, gripping the wall, as Yang levered herself out of the building. A very, _very_ naked Yang, her other hand gripping her hair and trying (and failing) to use it as some sort of covering. Blake had just started walking towards the building, when she froze in place, eyes wide, face blazing into a blush as she stared at her completely nude girlfriend. Yang's face was lit up in a blush herself as she kept looking at the ground, even as Ruby stomped her foot and rolled her eyes in a manner reminiscent of Weiss. "Oh geez Yang, you didn't even think to shield your clothes?" Yang shrugged shyly.

"Well…I was worried about Blake!" As Ruby began lecturing Yang, Yang glared at Ruby and snapped back at her, the two sisters bickering. Blake heard none of it, white noise playing in her ears as all the blood in her brain drained completely from it. An elbow in her side made her snap her head around to see Weiss, the blush on the heiress' face completely at odd with her smirk.

"Breathe, Belladonna."

Blake glared, about to snap back at Weiss, when a stray angry growl from Ruby made both girls look back towards the sisters, just in time to get a visual of Ruby stripping off her corset and skirt, revealing a dark red tank top and black shorts underneath them. Before either girl could react, the red-head had ripped those off and thrown them at Yang. Standing in her underwear, as Yang held the two items Ruby had tossed at her, the sister's continued their argument, leaving the monochrome duo in the back flabbergasted. Blake coughed, giving Weiss a sidelong glance.

"You are one lucky girl, Schnee."

Weiss nodded, meeting Blake's side glance with one of her own. "Same to you." The two girls stood in silence for a moment, still gazing at the two sisters, before Weiss leaned over slightly towards Blake. "Is this wrong?"

Blake shrugged. "Why would it be?"

Weiss coughed, her blush increasing. "Well…I'm not looking at only Ruby."

Blake smiled slightly as she hunched her shoulders down and muttered. "I'm not looking only at Yang." The silence extended for a brief moment, before Blake spoke up again. "Well, you know what Yang would say." Weiss' questioning glance encouraged Blake to continue, the faunus smirking. "We just have a healthy appreciation for the female form!" Weiss giggled loudly, the sound of her laugh finally breaking into the two sister's argument. A brief moment occured where Ruby and Yang glanced at their partners, back at each other, then at themselves , before they simultaneously made an eep sound and began struggling to get back into their clothes. As they managed to fully cover themselves, Blake and Weiss sighed deeply in unison, smirks on their faces at the dark red blush both Ruby and Yang had painted on their faces. As the four girls finally reunited, Weiss spoke up.

"You know Yang, you could just call for your locker. We keep spare uniforms in our lockers." Ruby's blush deepened as Yang smacked her forehead. Blake calmly handed Yang her scroll, who quickly input the numbers to launch her locker, before handing it back. Blake put it in her pocket, standing still for a brief moment, before lunging forward unexpectedly, gripping Yang in a hug so tight Yang felt her ribs crack. Blake spoke, voice muffled at her head was currently buried in Yang's shoulder.

"Never scare me like that again, ok?"

Yang struggled to take a breath, before giving up and nodding, wrapping her arms around Blake and stroking her hair. Blake released Yang, but glared at her, making Yang chuckle nervously as she glanced around for support. Seeing a similar glare on Weiss' face, and already knowing Ruby was not happy with her, Yang quickly realized she was on her own. "Look, I meant to bring up the whole fireproof thing, but I kept forgetting about it! It's not like I go around and regularly end up getting caught in massive fire blasts!" A cough from Ruby and an unamused glare made Yang curse under her breath. "Ok, not since I got to Beacon!" Ruby's expression relented slightly, just in time for Yang's locked to smash down a few yards from them. Yang strode over to it as the other three girls turned away, although Blake did so reluctantly as Yang quickly threw on her spare combat uniform, throwing Ruby's under clothes into her locker, figuring Ruby wouldn't want to change again. As she walked back to the group, she was cut off by a series of massive explosions ripping through the city once more, plumes of flame shooting up in the distance, looking for all the world like a traveling wave as they burst in sequence. With how far they had gotten from the blast zones, they avoided the shockwave, but the burst of warm air and the screams of the citizenry being carried on the same air reached them easily enough. The worries about Yang had made them forget momentarily what had caused this whole situation, but it quickly came rushing back into their minds.

Before they could fully react, the sounds of Bullhead's above made them glance up to see countless airships deploying Atlesian soldiers across the city. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief, knowing they could handle such a situation better than team RWBY could. They were huntresses, not bomb specialists. As soldiers landed around them, Ruby waved a greeting, but her smile froze as the soldiers instantly pointed their guns at the girls. Blinking, Ruby slowly held her hands up, her team mirroring her gesture as more soldiers surrounded the four girls.

A bright orange bob of hair strode into the midst of the soldiers, walking straight towards Ruby. Ruby smiled at the sight of Penny, letting her hands down and breathing easier.

"Hey Penny! Do you know what's going on here?" Penny strode straight up to Ruby, a smile plastered on her face, but she spoke not a word. As Ruby looked closer at Penny, she realized Penny's eyes were blank, unfocused. The normal brilliant emerald color was dull and muted, with no recognition showing in them. Ruby cocked her head, speaking slowly and worriedly. "Penny?"

Penny slammed her open hand into Ruby's chest, sending her flying back into the soldiers, smashing through them as she was thrown into a wall, her back cracking as she hit it. She arched her back in pain as she coughed, a tiny amount of blood coming out of her mouth. For a brief second, everything was frozen, before Yang burst into flame and tried to run towards Ruby. She was forced to stop as soldiers leapt into her path, guns blazing, making her jump backwards and dodge.

Weiss readied Myrtenaster and went to swing at Penny, but the orange haired girl simply leapt up and over her, dashing towards Ruby even as her backpack opened, the blades flinging out and spinning behind her, deflecting all the bullets coming in a hail from Blake's Gambol Shroud. The solders closed ranks immediately, going on the offensive to the three surrounded girls who could only watch helplessly as Penny closed in on Ruby.

Ruby leapt up onto the roof of the building she had hit, deploying Crescent Rose just in time to deflect two of Penny's swords, frantically backing off as Penny kept charging at her, spinning in place as the blades formed into a wheel shape, rattling off against the metal handle of Crescent Rose. Ruby had to pour on her speed as best she could to dodge the multiple blades swinging at her from every angle imaginable, eyes wide.

"Penny! Stop this! I'm your friend! Whatever is wrong, we can work it out!" Ruby was cut off from continuing by a hail of bullets smashing into her back, pitching her forward and throwing off her defenses. The red-head's eyes went wide as Penny's spinning blades came screaming towards her, catching her across her midriff and cutting deep into her skin, making her hiss in pain as she back flipped away. Holding one hand over her abdomen, she winced as she lifted her hand up to see the blood dripping from her hand. She had little time to wonder though, as Penny's swords came back in, forcing her to activate her semblance, quickly leaping onto another rooftop. The welcome sight of Bullheads from Beacon, and other hunter teams jumping down to help her team with the soldiers made her grin for a second, before she had to duck again.

Although Ruby was faster than Penny by a wide margin, the way Penny's blades could operate entirely independently of each other and of Penny made it nearly impossible for Ruby to actually escape. Every time she thought she had some distance, a blade would be in front of her, forcing her to stop and deflect it. She kept pleading with Penny, trying to get her to stop, and swore she saw Penny stop for brief moments before continuing the pursuit. She raked her mind for a way to stop, desperation making her thoughts race.

An immense explosion from the city threw her off, the shockwave impacting her mid leap, sending her careening to the side. Before she landed, Penny's incredibly strong arms grabbed her, one locked around her throat, the other crushing the hand holding Crescent Rose, forcing her to drop her beloved scythe as Penny began squeezing, lifting the other hand up to grasp Ruby's throat as well. Ruby kicked out, trying to break the hold, but all she succeeded in doing was hurting her foot. Ruby glanced over, seeing her team and team JNPR in the courtyard of the CCT, barely holding off waves upon waves of soldiers, even as she glimpsed the massive forms of Atlesian Paladin's moving in. Darkness began to creep in on her vision as her breath fell short, feeling the pressure from Penny's hand beginning to steal her senses from her. Looking down tearfully into Penny's blank eyes, she tried desperately to speak, her voice hoarse.

"Penny! You're not a robot! You're a person! Plea-" Ruby felt her pleas cut off, but suddenly, the pressure on her throat eased for a brief second as Penny's eyes lit up momentarily, the orange haired girl blinking. One hand left Ruby's throat, gripping onto Penny's head near her ear, the robotic girl squeezing her eyes shut. Ruby's heart soared as she heard Penny's voice growl out.

"Ruby, I…I can't! It's…it's too loud! _It's too loud!"_ Penny's eyes dimmed again as her hand shot back to Ruby's throat, the pressure growing quicker. Ruby tried to think, before a desperate plan made its way into her mind. Glancing at where Penny had placed her hand before, Ruby glimpsed a tiny metal rod slightly sticking out, right beneath Penny's ear. As quickly as she could, Ruby stretched out her trembling hand and grabbed at Penny's ear, trying to grip the rod. Her hand scrabbled uselessly for a moment before she grabbed it, and with all the strength left in her body as the darkness closed in on her, she ripped it off, a metallic screeching sounding as a small piece of Penny's ear came with it, leaving glowing exposed wiring sparking fitfully in the air. Ruby felt the pressure on her throat cease, felt herself being laid down gently.

Ruby gulped in air, trying to stay awake as she felt the darkness in her vision slowly clearing, the roaring noise in her ears receding into the background. She could hear a voice calling for her, shaking her slightly, and she opened her eyes to see Penny above her, her eyes lit up once more as she looked down worriedly at Ruby. "Ruby! Please Ruby, wake up! I'm so sorry, please, wake up! Please be ok friend, please!" Ruby patted Penny's hand that lay on her chest, nodding at Penny, trying to calm her down. She cleared her throat, wincing as it felt like needles were stuck in it, before speaking hoarsely.

"What happened?"

Penny shook her head. "I do not know, friend Ruby. I was merely sitting down when this signal hit me. I felt my parameters being reconfigured by the signal, and my programming was insufficient to prevent the reconfiguring. I believe the same has occurred to the Atlesian troops. I have self-will, but that device you removed is designed to be able to override it. The soldiers do not. The only way to shut them down is to stop the signal."

Ruby nodded, trying to keep up with Penny. "Do you know where the signal is coming from?"

Penny nodded, pointing at the CCT overlooking the courtyard nearby. "The tower. The signal is from the tower." Ruby's eyes narrowed as she tried to get to her feet, leading to Penny gently pushing her back. "Friend Ruby, you are wounded. I have wounded you. You must rest." Ruby shook her head no.

"I can't Penny. We have to do something. Help me up, please?"

Penny looked down at Ruby, the sadness apparent in her eyes, before nodding. Reaching down, Penny lifted Ruby to her feet, steadying her as Ruby stumbled slightly. Ruby winced again, looking around to see Crescent Rose lying on the ground nearby. Stumbling over to it, with Penny glued to her side, arms out wide ready to catch Ruby if she fell, the red-head sighed as she realized her right hand could barely grip her scythe, the bones in her hand fractured by Penny's crushing grip. Focusing her aura on it, she felt them slowly begin to knit back together as she lifted her scythe up with her left, glad her dominant hand was still fully functional. Looking down into the courtyard, Ruby could see that multiple hunter teams, including her own, JNPR, CFVY, and CRDL were battling the soldiers, but were slowly being driven into the alleyways and roads that led away from the CCT.

Ruby dropped off the building, landing near the back of the lines as Penny fell beside her. Weiss' eyes lit up as she saw Ruby unharmed, but she immediately pointed Myrtenaster towards Penny even as Ruby raised her hands and waved her off frantically. Looking over at Penny, Ruby spoke.

"Penny, we need time to come up with a plan. Can you keep the soldiers off us for a bit?"

Penny nodded. "Of course Friend Ruby. I am combat ready!" She saluted with a massive grin as Ruby chuckled.

"Yeah, I've noticed." Penny's expression fell slightly, before she straightened up and sent her blades flying into the gathered soldiers, clearing room for Ruby to dash up to her team. Seeing that most of the teams were too far for Ruby to reach with her voice, she yanked out her scroll and activated the emergency leader channel that all team leader's had access to.

"This is Ruby Rose team RWBY. The Atlesian soldier's programming has been overwritten by a signal originating from the CCT. We have got to get there and shut it down quickly!" A chorus of affirmatives came from her scroll as team leaders across the courtyard received her message. Ruby smiled at her team as they breathed a sigh of relief at seeing her, but a scream from behind them caught their attention.

Spinning around, Ruby's eyes widened as she saw a small girl running towards her, soldier's lumbering behind her. Ruby's body acted on its own, her semblance exploding into action as she blurred towards the child. Time seemed to slow down for her in that moment, as she saw the soldier raise its gun. _'Faster faster faster faster faster faster!'_ Ruby chanted in her head, all sound cut off as she moved faster than she had ever moved in her life. She clearly saw the muzzle flash, saw the bullet spiraling through the air towards the child. Slowly, as she closed in on the child, she raised Crescent Rose one handed and took aim, begging her aim to be steady as she fired, not having time to line her shot up.

Ruby watched as her bullet flew through the air, able to see the whirling paths of air it cut through as it moved towards the one fired by the soldier. She watched as her bullet passed over the shoulder of the little girl, the young brunette's eyes wide open in fear, mouth open in a silent scream. The world was silent and still to Ruby, everything so slow she swore she could see the very air itself. Her bullet missed the soldier's by the tiniest margin, continuing on and burying itself in the ground. Ruby dropped her scythe, arms outstretched, reaching out to try to grasp the child, desperate to save her.

Time caught up to Ruby as she grabbed the girl in the same moment the bullet hit, ripping through the child's back and straight out the front, smashing into Ruby's aura where it was stopped. Ruby rolled on the ground, the child wrapped in her arms, feeling the wetness of her blood soaking the front of her corset, even as the sounds of battle returned. Ruby felt more than noticed the flames of Yang blazing past her, ripping apart the soldiers who had been chasing the child, even as Ruby sat helplessly holding the girl in her arms, looking down into the blue eyes staring lifelessly up at her. A hand on her shoulder made her look up, seeing Weiss looking down at her, a tear falling from the older girl's eye as she looked at Ruby.

"Weiss! Freeze her! Like Azure showed you! Do the freeze time thing!" Ruby shouted, desperate. Weiss shook her head slowly, solemnly.

"It's too late."

Ruby shook her head rapidly, refusing to believe it. " _NO_! Please, Weiss! Help her!" Weiss looked at a loss, but Yang stepped in, kneeling next to Ruby, even as Blake and Pyrrha from JNPR closed in around them, blocking the soldiers from reaching them. Yang placed her hand softly over Ruby's.

"Rubes…we can't do anything for her. She didn't have an aura like we do. I'm sorry." Ruby stared deep into Yang's still blazing red eyes, blinking back tears, before lowering her head. Her shoulders shook for a brief moment, before they went still. Ever so slowly, Ruby lay the girl down, gently placing her hands over her chest. Lifting her now bloodstained hands up, Ruby grabbed the edge of her hood and lifted it up, covering her head entirely. Reaching back, the red-head grasped the hilt of Crescent Rose, dragging it up as she rose to her feet, head still lowered, face blocked by her hood. Ruby's voice was a whisper, colder than an artic blizzard, as she spoke only two words.

_"Break them."_


	27. Chapter 27

Yang was fairly certain robots didn't feel fear. Well, she amended with a glance at Penny, most didn't. The Atlesian soldiers clearly did not. Which Yang felt was a good thing, seeing as right now, everyone else was pretty afraid. Even as she ducked another soldier's punishing blow and returned fire with Ember Celica, Yang kept a sharp eye out on her little sister. Yang could never fear her sister, not ever…but she could fear _for_ her.

When Ruby fought, and truly meant it, she disconnected from the fight, just as her uncle had taught. He had taught Ruby to express no emotion during the fight, to become cold, to not allow thoughts to distract from her duty. That's how she was supposed to be fighting. But this? This was personal. This was vicious. This was brutality to a scale Yang had never seen. Sure, they were just machines…but Yang suspected that even if they weren't, Ruby would be this vicious. Even as she watched, Ruby sliced off the missile launcher off an Atlesian Paladin, lifted it up, shoved it down into the other launcher, and fired her rifle point blank into them.

The ensuing explosion as all the rockets went off blasted nearby soldiers from their feet, sending a massive shockwave across the field, bringing any nearby hunter to their knees. Ruby rode the blast into the sky, her aura flaring angrily as it absorbed the punishing explosion, before she angled herself down and dove once more. Dashing from soldier to soldier, Ruby was carnage incarnate. Beheading one soldier and throwing it's still sparking metallic skull through another solder, ripping the arms off one and impaling another with the arm she'd torn away, Ruby was an unstoppable force on the field. She kept ignoring the other hunter's entirely, dashing past them in a blur of petals without even stopping to think, even ripping soldier's apart that someone had already been about to end.

Yang had been separated from Blake and Weiss, but she could see them clearly, each of them grouped with other hunters. Yang was currently back to back with Pyrrha and Cardin, which had both girls slightly leery, but in the heat of battle beggars couldn't be choosers. To his credit, Cardin was not being a jerk like normal. Instead, he was fighting at his best, using his brute strength to keep safe Yang and Pyrrha's backs as the two girls used their own talents to rip far more soldiers apart. The three hunters ducked as a Paladin arm went flying overhead, leading to a stunned yelp from Cardin. He turned to Yang and growled.

"What the hell is your sister's problem, blondie?" Yang didn't bother replying, simply looked over at the alleyway where the little girl's body still lay. Cardin followed her eyes, and for the first time since Yang had met him, the arrogance faded off his face as it fell. He sighed sadly and muttered beneath his breath. "You can't save everyone." Yang and Pyrrha shared a shudder at that statement, the memories of that harsh lesson still fresh in their minds.

'You can't save everyone'…the unwritten rule all hunters know, one that every hunter despised but accepted as fact. Every preparation school had a secret lesson you took in your final year, one that all hunters were supposed to have before moving onto schools like Beacon. Ruby never got to that lesson, and Yang knew that was the main cause of this. Weiss and Blake, while neither had gone to a preparation school like Signal, had clearly learned that lesson from a young age, but it was one Ruby had never truly learned. Yang understood why they made you learn it…but it still hurt her to see it in her memories.

* * *

_Yang remembered how her father's smile had seemed forced when he congratulated her for her first 'solo' hunt in her final year. She had left, all smiles and cheers, as Ruby hugged her gleefully. Her father and uncle had watched her leave, faces neutral, but Yang had paid no attention. It had seemed so simply…a small pack of Beowulves, nothing remotely difficult for a huntress of her caliber. But everything had gone wrong. The Beowulves had a young boy with them, her Burn Dust that made her shells explode was poor quality and wasn't firing right, her extra ammunition was empty, Ember Celica kept jamming…everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong. Yang lost the fight, badly, and was bodily thrown off a cliff. As she fell, she had to watch in slow motion as the Beowulf pack ripped the boy apart, his screams cutting off in a gurgle of blood. Some of his blood even fell down onto her, staining her clothing as she fell._

_She had stumbled back to the school, barely coherent. She wasn't allowed to go to her family, they dragged her into debriefing immediately after, hammering her with questions. Asking her what happened, how could she do so badly, what happened to the boy…so many questions, Yang simply couldn't answer any of them. Her mind was torn, unable to comprehend her failure. After the debriefing, they had told her to stay in one of the spare rooms, so she was nearby. If she had been thinking straight, she would have found it odd, but at this time she simply didn't care anymore._

_It took three days of her locked up in this small room, barely eating, before her father came in and sat next to her. He held her closely and whispered to her how sorry he was, apologizing over and over until Yang stopped him, asking him why he was apologizing when she had been the one to fail. He'd given her a small smile before explaining to her that she had not failed._

_The boy had never been real. It was an illusion crafted by a professor whose semblance allowed him to do so. It was only ever a small robot that looked like a boy. Sometimes they used drugs instead to force hallucinations, but Yang's semblance made drugging her very difficult as she tended to burn any foreign substance out of her system extraordinarily quickly. Everything that went wrong on her mission had been planned by the professors. They had interfered with her gear, given her bad dust, set her up to fail. Because she had to learn…you can't save everyone. It was a harsh truth, but one all hunters had to face someday. Hunters couldn't afford to be consumed by the guilt of every death, because they simply were only as human as the next, and sometimes you couldn't save everyone. It was alright to grieve, but you couldn't let yourself be taken over by the guilt._

_It took Yang hours to stop crying, both tears of relief and of pain at what she had been put through. She understood it though. She understood why. Taiyang never left her side, simply holding his daughter close until she could speak freely. When she finally seemed to have calmed down, he made her swear to him she would never speak of this lesson to anyone who had not gone through the lesson. It was only effective if they didn't know it was coming. Before Yang could speak, he shook his head at her. Yes, even Ruby had to go through it, no matter how much they didn't want her to, she had to face it._

_But she never had a chance to._

* * *

Yang ducked under the swing of another Paladin. The soldiers had parted, allowing two Paladins to reach the trio of hunters. One Paladin was difficult enough, but two? They were outmatched at the moment, unable to get a good angle for an offensive strike. As Yang ducked, Cardin dashed out to her right, smashing his mace into the leg of the Paladin, crumpling it slightly, sparks flying from the damaged servos. The Paladin brought its other arm down to slam into the boy when Pyrrha leapt up, intercepting the blow with her shield, as Yang ran behind it and began pummeling it with Ember Celica. A shadow alerted her to the presence of the second Paladin behind her, leaving her with little room to dodge. She brought her arms up over her head in an attempt to block the incoming blow, but it never came.

A hiss on the air was all the warning she got before both arms of the Paladin fell to the ground beside her, just before a massive dull brass colored gauntlet smashed clean through the center of the Paladin, ripping out its front. With a grunt of exertion, Taiyang lifted the Paladin clean above his head, his hand still impaled within it, before throwing it into the other, knocking both machines to the ground. Qrow's indistinct form appeared for a brief moment, slicing into the two massive machines on the ground and carving them clean in half with his onyx colored blade. Yang cheered and hugged her father as he laughed, holding her.

"Dad! What are you doing here?"

Qrow began carving through more soldiers around them, allowing Tai time to speak to Yang. "Me and Qrow were actually coming to visit you guys again. Well, ok, truth is we came to pick up some things from the Dust shop…Patch's having some issues getting new supplies in, so we decided to come here. But figured we'd visit you guys on the way, but then…this." Tai waved around at the battle raging around them, before glancing around. "Where's Ruby?" Before Yang could answer, the red blur that was his daughter blasted past, carving clean through a soldier Qrow had been about to hit. Qrow blinked in surprise, before leaping back to Tai and Yang, looking at his niece for an explanation.

Like she had given Cardin, Yang just glanced over at the body of the little girl, as both Tai and Qrow's expressions cleared of confusion at the sight. Tai glanced at Qrow, his anguished expression saying it all. Qrow nodded at Tai and Yang.

"Let me handle this. She is my student."

Tai nodded, clapping Qrow on the shoulder, seconds before the dark haired man seemed to blur, his form becoming indistinct as he dashed into the fray, disappearing into the battle. Tai slowly waved his fingers in his gauntlets, clenching them tightly, small spikes protruding from the knuckles as he looked at his daughter, a wry grin spreading across his face.

"C'mon Yang…make your old man proud." Tai leapt off into the press of bodies, his fists flying even as Yang grinned for the first time since the battle began, turning back to her own fight beside Pyrrha and Cardin.

* * *

_'She was only a child.'_

_-Your weapon is a part of you, Ruby. Always treat her as you want to be treated, and she will sing for you.-_

Step. Left swing. Overhand slice. Reverse grip. Backspin.

_'You were too slow.'_

_-The scythe is not a toy. The scythe is based on an ancient farming implement, used to help cut down grain and it's like. In your hands, the scythe is death. But never forget, the original purpose of the scythe was to bring food to the people. To bring them life. It's your job, Squirt.-_

Grab enemy, throw them into next. Backflip. Low slice forward, remove legs. Continue spin up.

_'You failed at your duty.'_

_-Remember Ruby, a weapon's purpose is death. But you will never wield this for that reason. You will only wield this scythe in practice, in play, or to protect. Never seek out death for the sake of death.-_

Dash forward between legs. Hook leg, swing up. Fire. Semblance. Use momentum to trip larger enemy. Spin haft hand over hand to deflect bullets.

_'These are machines. Machines do not feel. The machines are not at fault. They did as they were programmed to do.'_

_-The day may come kiddo, where you have to use this scythe on another person. People are not Grimm. Grimm are monsters, and their deaths will never weigh on your conscience. But killing a person should always be your last resort, and never do it with hate in your heart.-_

Leap over enemy swing. Continue flip down. Impale. Grip haft behind back, spin to fling remains off blade. Diagonal slash down, hand over hand, continue for secondary swing. Pause midstride, reverse.

_'The one who altered their programming. They caused this. But it's your fault. You missed.'_

_-If you let yourself hate, and strike someone down as you hate, it'll become all you know. You'll be consumed by it. Vengeance is not justice. Sometimes, justice does mean death. But it should be something you do with a heavy heart. Never be too eager to dispense death, Ruby. It's a mistake you will live to regret.-_

Handspring to left. Plant hand firmly on ground, rotate wrist, throw self up. Fire. Twist. Spiral through enemy. Kick off. Dodge bullets. Return fire.

_'You are pathetic. You let her die.'_

_-Yeah I know, it's a lot to take in kiddo. Haha. Sorry for being so pushy, but you need to learn this. You need to know not to make the same mistakes I did. A scythe is dangerous, not just because of how strong it is, or how messy it can be. A scythe is dangerous because it lures you into its spell. A scythe sings a sirens song, a song only you and I can hear, a song of blood and death. It pulls us in, and you need to remember that you can't allow it to take you over. Do not fight for death. Fight for life.-_

Being pushed back. Unacceptable. Flip. High sweep, decapitate. Plant tip in ground, pole vault for kick. Fire. Use momentum to swing back towards center. Enemy blocking path. Sever tendon wires. Kick head in. Duck.

_'She was just a child.'_

Shove back. Impale into chest. Use as blunt instrument.

_'She didn't deserve to die.'_

Arms tiring. Does not matter. More enemies. Living targets by building. Masks. White Fang. Machines ignoring them. New targets.

_'She was just a child. You failed her. You failed your mother.'_

Must reach tower. White Fang did this. Must reach tower. Slide under swinging arm. Remove arm. Ignore sparks.

_'She was just a child.'_

Too many enemies to tower. Getting pushed back. All teams pushed back. No. Must reach tower. (I will not fail. Not again. Not ever.)

 _'She…'_ (I…)

 _'was…'_ (will…)

 _'just…'_ (not…)

 _'a…'_ (fail…)

 _'CHILD!'_ (AGAIN!)

* * *

The scream of rage that ripped from Ruby's throat had every huntsman and huntress in the area spinning, wide-eyed, to see the red cloaked scythe wielder standing amongst a rapidly growing pile of mechanical pieces and parts. Her entire body visibly shaking, Ruby, hood still covering her face, reverted Crescent Rose to its transportation form and clipped it behind her. Ruby leaned down, one hand on the ground, taking a pose not unlike a sprinter. Yang's eyes widened as she saw the direction Ruby was pointing at, taking note that Nora, Blake, and Velvet were directly in her path, keeping a defensive formation up. Yang swiftly caved in the chest of the soldier before her, before dashing off at an angle away from Ruby, desperately trying to reach the trio before Ruby took off.

Yang was barely a meter from the trio when she felt the vibration the air indicating Ruby's takeoff. The ground cracked beneath the red-head's feet as she burst forward, the air swirling behind her slipstream. Yang leapt forward, shoving Nora and Velvet as far as she could as she wrapped Blake in her arms, landing on top of the three and shielding them as best she could, raising her aura around her to the limits she had left.

Yang lifted her head up, eyes wide as she watched Ruby bolt past her, nothing but a flash of red going through everything in her path. The swirling storm of mechanical parts followed quickly, the most massive shockwave Yang had ever seen Ruby create following her, a trail of pure destruction leading directly to the CCT. Ducking her head, Yang tried desperately to cover her friends, even as pieces of the soldier's began smashing into her aura. Yang grunted even as Velvet squeaked in fear, closing her eyes and concentrating to try to keep her aura up. Feeling herself being lifted slightly, Yang swiftly smashed her hands into the ground, using her massive strength to grip onto the earth beneath her, trying to hold herself in place. Yang had a lot of energy stored up from the fight, and blazed it all into her aura to hold the field, protecting her friends and her Blake.

The storm of parts blew past, leaving silence in their wake. Yang looked up, lifting her sore body up off her friends, before her jaw dropped open in shock. A clear, massive corridor was ripped through the masses of soldiers, looking for all the world like someone had simply scooped out the soldiers, parts, and earth itself in a straight line headed directly to the CCT. As Yang watched, Ruby stopped suddenly, leaping up into the air like she had that day in the cafeteria, letting the storm of parts flow past and smash into the building, even as White Fang members dived out of the way. The doors of the CCT smashed open from the shockwave, the glass shattering even as the door frames twisted. Ruby landed and unsheathed her scythe, marching determinedly towards the broken doors.

Most of the White Fang members had been knocked unconscious by the shockwave, but three managed to scramble to their feet in time to block Ruby's arrival. Ruby's form blurred, as she spin kicked one across the head, sending it flying into a pillar, before whipping Crescent Rose around and smashing the back halt of it into the other, knocking them unconscious with a single blow. Even as the third member gulped and held their hands up in surrender, Ruby stood still, head bowed, unmoving. Yang's gasped in horror as she saw Ruby lift her scythe up one handed, the barrel of her rifle pointed directly at the chest of the last White Fang. The dog-eared faunus fell to his knees, hands still in the air, even as Ruby kept the barrel pointed at him. He was shaking, fear evident even behind his mask, Ruby standing still, no motion from her besides the slight movement of her shoulders indicating her breathing. Yang, even with how far away she was, could see Ruby's finger pulling the trigger. Yang turned away, unwilling to watch her sister execute someone helpless, knowing she could not reach the two in time. A loud crack rang out, making Yang cringe, eyes squeezed shut.

A hand tightly gripping her shoulder made her look up to see Blake, pointing back towards the CCT. Yang looked up, expecting to see a bloody corpse, but instead she could see the still quivering White Fang member, Ruby's scythe pointed off to the side, and the glowering form of her uncle standing beside Ruby, his own onyx scythe locked with Ruby's, holding it off to the side as he stared down at his niece. Yang breathed a sigh of relief, glad that her uncle had reached her sister, knowing that if anyone could get through to Ruby, it was the man the younger girl looked up to the most. Shaking her head, she leapt to her feet, realizing many soldiers still were rampaging around. Nora and Velvet had been protecting her while she worried over Ruby, but she had to fight back too. She had to trust in her uncle to help Ruby. Turning back to the fray, Yang's eyes blazed back into red as she yelled out, fists ablaze once more.

* * *

Qrow realized Ruby had grown nearly as tall as he, as he could barely look over Ruby's head anymore. The hood still covering her face, her arm straining to push Crescent Rose down against his weapon. Quick as a flash, he yanked the hood down. Ruby stared at him with red-rimmed eyes, a trail of tears still falling even as her face was contorted into a rictus of anger. She glared at her uncle, but her eyes quickly shifted to the White Fang member who had been trembling and was trying to rise to flee. Before anyone could react, Qrow released the locked blades (causing Ruby to stumble slightly) and smashed the haft of his scythe back into the faunus's face, knocking him unconscious. Ruby growled at her uncle, before straightening back up and beginning her march into the building, but was halted by his scythe swinging out before her, blocking her path. She glared at him again.

"Move, uncle."

He shook his head slowly. "No, Ruby. I'm not letting you go in there. Not like this."

Ruby clenched her fists on her scythe, hands shaking slightly. "I have to stop the signal!"

"You have to calm down first."

"I'm perfectly calm!"

"You nearly killed someone."

"He was a combatant! You said sometimes we have to kill!"

Qrow's expression twisted, his voice falling into a low, dangerous tone. "I said sometimes death is the only option, but it should be the _last_ one! And I _never_ taught you to strike down a kneeling, defenseless, surrendering man!"

Ruby closed her eyes tightly, before blinking them wide open and shouting in her uncle's face. _"I have to do this! I have to stop the signal!"_

Qrow's face hardened. "If you want to get in, you have to go through me." Ruby stared at her uncle, shock flitting across her face, before her expression became set and determined. She hefted Crescent Rose up and held it extended out to her side, watching as her uncle mirrored her motion.

"Fine. I'm sorry uncle…but I have to do this."

Qrow sighed at Ruby, his eyes never leaving hers. "No, kiddo. I'm sorry. It shouldn't have come to this. I failed you once. I won't fail you again." Ruby narrowed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before nodding once at her uncle. As one, the two scythe wielders moved forward, massive blades sweeping through the air.


	28. Chapter 28

It took Qrow exactly seven seconds to realize the person before him was not the same person he had watched get on the airship to Beacon. Even if he set aside her current mental state, she had improved far beyond what he had ever expected she would in such a short time. Every advantage he had had as her teacher had nearly been negated. She was as strong as him, as agile as him, and she had truly joined to the motions of the scythe. He'd always told her it was more like a dance, but she never seemed to catch onto that. Now, she had. Even as he ducked another swing and returned with his own, he marveled at how far his little protégé had come. Even his reach was no longer a factor, with how tall she had grown. He was reminded so much of her mother. Summer had been one of his best friends ever since they'd landed on a team, and he remembered sparring with her all the time, or fighting with her at his back.

His semblance was of little help either, since Ruby had known for a long time exactly how it worked. Most peopled assumed it was some sort of illusion, how the shadows would creep out and cover his body, making him blurred and difficult to strike true, but they were wrong. Not that Qrow would reveal that to anyone, except those he trusted…like his niece. No, what Qrow's semblance did was it _fused_ him with the shadows, making him part shadow entirely. Hitting him was actually easy…doing damage was not. You were more often than not actually striking empty space, as Qrow would shift what the shadows were fused to as his enemy got close. The problem was Qrow was limited in how much of his body he could fuse to the shadows, and for how long any one part was fused. Excessive use of it would chill his blood and organs to the point that he was in danger of them not functioning if he did not give that part of himself time to recover from the cold embrace of the shadows, and Ruby knew it.

The reverse was not true however, as Ruby's semblance had no inborn weaknesses like his did. As long as she had Aura, she simply was faster than he could be. Luckily, his years of battle experience did negate her speed somewhat, as well as the fact he had taught her every move she knew. The only true advantage Qrow had right now was her mindset. Ruby was not thinking clearly, consumed by her own guilt and misplaced rage.

Ever since Summer had been taken from them, Qrow had always worried most for Ruby. Tai had eventually fallen out of his depression, even though mention of Summer still hurt him, he was strong and remembered all the good times they'd have together. Yang, though she still missed the woman she'd known as her mother her whole life, had accepted it. Qrow always thought his blonde niece was the most emotionally stable person he'd met in his entire life, except for her teeny problem with her anger. But Ruby…Ruby hadn't understood. And while Yang had been trying to help Ruby with all the fairy tales she'd read to her younger sister, she never realized what Qrow did.

Ruby had a very black and white view of morality, and of what her purpose in this world was. Ruby wanted to be a hero, the knight in shining armor, a single point of light against the darkness. The problem with that was Ruby placed everything on her own shoulders, refusing to let others suffer if she could help it. But you could only hold so much before it began to weigh on you, before it began to drag you down, and Qrow could see this time she had truly snapped. He'd always worried about when this day would come, when Ruby would not be able to save someone, when she had to face the cold reality that you cannot be the perfect hero from the books. He had no idea she'd go this far though…the thought of her executing someone in cold blood chilled him more than his own semblance did, as did the rage in her eyes as she swung at him. Ruby was his little niece, the one he'd affectionately dubbed squirt, and she was a kind, loving soul. Clumsy as all hell and sometimes a bit of a weapons dork, but still someone who never had held darkness in her hands like Qrow had. And it had cost her. He could see it in her eyes, the way she slashed at him back and forth, her desperation to make someone pay sending her into a frenzy.

Qrow kept calm, waiting for the right moment, the time when he could break through her anger. He was being as defensive as possible, letting Ruby wear herself out. He noted she was seldom using the rifle on Crescent Rose, which was a blessing for him. Far easier to dodge the blade than the bullet, even with how predictable her shots could be when she was enraged like this. He knew he had to play this just right, he had to remind her of what she was doing and who she really was. This wasn't his niece, and it was time she remembered who she was. _There!_ A quick dash forward and he locked his scythe up with hers, straining against her as he looked her dead in the eyes.

"Ruby! Stop this, now! This isn't you!"

Ruby growled, the light from the sun glinting off the water still gathered at the corner of her eyes. "What the hell do you know, Uncle?!" 

Qrow spun around, dragging Ruby with him, throwing her off balance for a millisecond. "Of course I know, I'm your damned Uncle! I trained you! I helped raise you! I know you, Ruby Rose, and this is not how my niece acts!"

"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think!" Ruby's reply was shouted even as she pushed Qrow back, bringing her scythe around her back for a quick swipe at his legs which he leapt up and over, kicking out and forcing Ruby back once more.

"Oh cut the crap kiddo, of course I know you. And I know you're hurting, but this isn't the way to deal with it! It's not your fault Ruby!" Qrow ducked a vicious swing at his head, spinning around and flinging his leg out for a sweep, one that Ruby back-flipped over. She dashed to the side, blurring as she attempted to get behind Qrow, but he had the haft of his scythe in position to block her swing before she'd even finished getting behind him.

"Shut up! Just _shut up,_ Uncle! She's dead! She's dead and its cause of this stupid signal so I have to stop it! I have to stop it, she's dead and it's cause I'm too slow!" Ruby's eyes were tearing up even more as she screamed at Qrow, blurring her vision. Qrow waited patiently, seeing her swings get wilder the longer the fight went on, knowing he'd have his chance soon.

"Stop being so arrogant kid! She's dead because someone shot her! You can't blame yourself, you can't do everything by yourself Ruby!" Qrow whipped his scythe around in an arc, letting his blade impact hers, stunning her for a brief moment since he'd always told her never to hit blade to blade. She shook off the shock and leapt into the air, bringing her scythe screaming down at her uncle, firing Crescent Rose for more speed.

"I have to fix this! It's my job! _It's…my…JOB!_ " Qrow stood there, looking up at her as she fell, not even moving as her blade came screaming down at him. Calmly, he held his scythe out to the side and without a second's hesitation, he dropped it. The clang of his weapon landing on the ground made time slow down for Ruby, as she saw the form of her uncle, unarmed, standing calmly with his hands out wide, waiting for her to land. She closed her eyes tightly and screamed incoherently, before firing Crescent Rose again to spin herself away from her uncle. She didn't have time to fix her course, and she hit the ground hard, landing painfully on her side. A gasp of air escaped her lungs as she struggled back to her feet, feeling a sharp pain shooting through her side that made her cringe. She felt more than saw an arm hit her hand, forcing her to drop Crescent Rose, before she felt her uncle's arms wrap around her shoulders. One hand on the back of her head, pushing her face into his shoulder, the other around her back, holding her tightly, ignoring her struggling. His voice came out, quiet and calm.

"It's not your fault kiddo. It's not. No one blames you but you. Come back to us Ruby. Your family still needs you. Your friends still need you. Pretty sure that pretty girl in the white needs you too. So just let it go…it's not your fault. I've never lied to you before kiddo, and I'm not about to start now." Ruby didn't bother to open her eyes, feeling something clenched inside her heart easing just barely, just enough for her to wrap her arms around her uncle and squeeze him as tightly as she could. She stopped struggling against him and just let one tear fall, before the downpour began, sobbing into the comforting shoulder of her mentor.

* * *

Yang breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her uncle and Ruby embracing, even as she fought her way closer. Blake and Weiss had finally regrouped with her, and the three of them had begun clawing their way through the army of soldiers to get near the two scythe wielders. JNPR had also joined them, along with her father who was currently using one of the soldiers as a blunt weapon, swinging it around in great sweeps to clear a path. Cardin had moved off to rejoin his team, but Yang and Pyrrha had both given him a respectful salute as he left, one he returned. Yang's eyes ran over the battlefield, noting how teams had finally seemed to regroup with each other and were all making their way to the central tower as best they could. Taiyang turned around and grinned at Yang, the look in his eyes making her pause and raise an eyebrow.

"Hey daughter dearest?"

Yang narrowed her eyes at him, always worried when he called her like that. "Yeah dad?"

Tai chuckled for a brief moment, before making a grand gesture towards the tower. "How do you feel about playing a game?" Yang slowly was catching onto his suggestion, even as Weiss and Blake looked at her father in confusion, or in Weiss' case, appalled.

"A game? Now? I hardly think this is the time or place!" Weiss exclaimed, skewering another soldier on Myrtenaster. Taiyang waved her off.

"Oh, this is a game I feel Yang will be happy to play, now that she's old enough. It's one Qrow and I just love to play. It's actually very simple…you see, I pick Yang up, I aim her, and then I throw her really _really_ hard at the bad guys, and she makes the bad guys fall down. I think she's old enough now!" Blake's jaw dropped, aghast, as Yang giggled.

"You know what Dad, I'd love to play! In fact, I think this would be a _blast_! Eh? Eh?" Yang nudged Blake in the side, making the faunus glare at her.

"Yang, that's insane!"

Yang shrugged. "So's dad. So am I. So is my uncle, and Ruby. Crazy is part of the blood, kitty cat. Ok dad, whenever you're ready!" Taiyang picked Yang up as though she weighed nothing, holding her over his head with one hand flat against her abdomen, almost like he was holding a javelin. He held his other hand out in front of him, fist closed with his thumb pointed up. He closed one eye and stuck his tongue out as he 'aimed' (although both Weiss and Blake were pretty sure he was faking it) before rearing back and launching Yang like a living, burning, golden missile.

Yang blazed clean through the soldiers before them, her burning semblance melting anything foolish enough or too slow to get out of her way. As she neared the front of the building, she flipped herself over midair and let out a blast from Ember Celica, arresting her motion and allowing her to lightly contact the cracked walls of the CCT. Pushing off, she did a half back-flip, landing on her feet with her hands up in the air, fists clenched. Even at the distance Blake was, she could clearly her Yang's exuberant 'Nailed it!' cry. Blake rolled her eyes and jogged along in the path Yang had left behind, one not unlike the previous one Ruby had left, only with less collateral damage.

As Weiss and Blake neared the building, they arrived just in time to see Yang slowly peel Ruby from her uncle and gently pulled her into a hug, holding Ruby delicately. Taiyang joined in the hug, holding both his daughters before giving a kiss to the top of their heads. Weiss carefully crept forward, not wanting to disturb the happy family, but so worried about Ruby. When Ruby lifted her head and her eyes met Weiss', Weiss had to struggle not to shudder at the pain reflected in the younger girl's eyes. Ruby's eyes cleared for a second as she glimpsed Weiss, and she broke the hug with her father and sister to shuffle slowly towards Weiss. Looking up at Weiss, the heiress was struck again by how much pain was reflected in her eyes, but even more worrisome was the fear Ruby had as she looked at Weiss. It hit Weiss, then, that Ruby was worried Weiss would react as she had before. Ruby was worrying that Weiss would fear _her_. Weiss held her arms open wordlessly, hoping Ruby could see that she held no fear of her.

Ruby collapsed into Weiss' arms, sobbing silently, her shoulders shaking even as Weiss gripped her tightly. She held the younger girl close for a brief moment, but the sounds of nearby battle interrupted their reunion, even as a body flew over and crashed down before them. Looking down, Weiss and Ruby saw the slightly singed form of Cardin laying, groaning at their feet. He looked up at the two as his team rushed to his side, holding his head and staring blankly at them for a moment before his mind caught up with his eyes. Eyes wide, he leapt to his feet and stood, eyeing Ruby warily. Noticing the way everyone around her was calm, it seemed like he took it in stride, nodding at them before speaking, Dove handing him his mace.

"Look, glad you're ok and all that Rose, but we have a situation here that needs addressing. You said we gotta stop the signal. Well, we're at the tower, how about we get on that?" The four members of team RWBY blinked at the sight of Cardin speaking to them moderately respectfully, but decided not to comment on it. Ruby released Weiss and looked up at the tower, lifting Crescent Rose up determinedly. Jaune came striding up to her side, followed quickly by Coco. A few other team leaders came up near her cautiously, all waiting to hear what she had to say. Ruby looked around, before taking a deep breath and speaking in a subdued tone.

"We can't send everyone in. We need people to stay here and keep the soldier's occupied till we can get the signal shut down. I'm pretty sure they won't leave it unguarded though. I'll take my team and JNPR inside. The rest of you, stay out here and keep them out here." Most of the team leaders nodded sharply, before rejoining their teams and repeating the orders given, but Jaune placed his hand carefully on Ruby's shoulder.

"You sure about this, Ruby? I mean, after what just happened…" he left the sentence hanging in the air, but everyone knew what he meant. Ruby looked down at the ground, hand tightening its grip on her scythe.

"…I'm not ok. I don't know when I'll be ok. But I gotta do this. I have to see this through. I won't be alone though. I got you guys with me. We can do this. We can stop this. I can figure this out after…for now, we got a job to do."

Jaune nodded, his expression still worried, but trusted his friend. Ruby turned to her uncle, but before she could speak he held up his hand.

"I believe in you, kiddo. Me and your father will keep them off you. You kids can do this." Ruby nodded, giving a tremulous half smile that quickly fell again. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, before shouldering her scythe and looking around at her team and JNPR. Yang grinned at her, eyes blood red and hair aglow. Weiss spun the chamber on Myrtenaster, checking to be sure it was rotating correctly, before giving her a soft smile. Blake reloaded Gambol Shroud, an audible click sounding as she snapped the clip into place. Nora had Magnhild slung across her shoulder, her irrepressible grin still present even as she winked at Ruby. Ren ejected the clips from Stormflower before flipping them up, a new set of clips sliding out of his voluminous sleeves into his guns. Pyrrha just gave Ruby a salute, her own half smile painted on her face. Jaune nodded at her, his expression set as he looked towards the shattered remains of the entryway to the CCT. Ruby took one last deep breath, before raising her scythe in the air, letting it hang for a brief moment before dropping it.

As one, the eight teens dashed forward, charging straight forward into the dark foyer of the CCT, prepared to put an end to this nightmare.


	29. Chapter 29

The inside of the CCT lobby was surprisingly empty, at least as far as any of the teens could figure. Even Blake's enhanced senses weren't picking up on anything. With the exception of the broken glass from the doors scattered just inside the doorway, everything seemed in place. The lights in the lobby were all on, lending an oddly eerie quality considering the silence within the lobby. Though the sounds of battle from outside the tower leaked in, the tower itself seemed quiet as a tomb. Ruby paused in the middle of the room, craning her neck back to look up at the ceiling for a moment, narrowing her eyes.

"They gotta be up on a higher floor."

Jaune nodded, looking pensive. "Yeah, but how will we know which one?"

Ren's quiet voice rang out in the still air, the tiredness evident in his speech. "The top. Whoever did this is arrogant. They would want to be at the very apex of the tower, looking down at what they have created." The logic seemed sound to the rest of the teens, but they quickly realized the issue at hand.

"How will we reach it? The only way up is the elevators, and…" Weiss' voice trailed off, allowing Ruby to finish her thought.

"And they'll know we are coming. We're walking into a trap. We'll be stuck in a small box with only one way out, right into whatever they have waiting for us." The assembled group was silent for a moment, before Ruby continued, her eyes still narrowed on the ceiling above her. "I'm going. But I'm not going to ask any of you to come with me."

Yang huffed, putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder and squeezing. "My little sis is not going up there alone. Besides, best chance is if I'm the first one out, I can take the hits."

Weiss shook her head, before sidling up to Ruby's other side. Taking the younger girl's hand in her own, Weiss squeezed it. "If you think I'm letting you two go by yourselves, you're bigger dunces than I thought. I can throw a glyph up in front of the door as well, to block them."

Blake chuckled dryly, taking her place next to Yang and looking over at Ruby, adding her input. "I'm not letting my best friends and girlfriend go in alone. I'll throw clones out to distract anyone outside the door. Between the three of us, we should be able to exit the elevator fine."

Jaune's amused voice came from behind them. "Are we done with the dramatic plans? Crater-face, you should know better…like team JNPR is just going to abandon their friends. We're all going Ruby, and we'll stop this. Together."

Ruby's face slowly slid into a half smile, the first smile she had given since everything had begun, before her face became set once more. "Alright. Let's end this." Ruby marched to the elevator, hitting the button to open the doors, both teams following behind her. With a ding that sounded horrendously loud in the still lobby, the doors slid open, allowing them to crowd into the elevator. Though there was little room to maneuver, Yang positioned herself before the door, with Blake and Ruby directly behind her, ready to spring out. Weiss readied Myrtenaster, taking a deep breath before concentrating, waiting to call upon her glyphs. Pyrrha and Jaune stood just behind Blake and Ruby, shields up, as Nora and Ren took position up along the sides, expecting to come out last. Yang reached forward and hit the button for the top floor, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as the elevator doors slowly slid shut, prepared to bring them up.

* * *

The ride up the elevator had been silent, but it felt like an eternity to the assembled group. Each of them shifted nervously, anticipating what was to come. They could feel it, their instincts telling them that a fight was to be had. They knew this would be a true test of their abilities. Yang kept her eyes forward, clenching and unclenching her fists, ready to burst out of the elevator and blaze through whatever was in her path. She had to set aside her worry for her sister, even though such silence from Ruby was uncharacteristic to say the least. As she watched the numbers tick higher and higher, ever so closer to that thirty that denoted the top floor of the tower, she began to concentrate, pulling all her stored energy into herself. Yang was ready for this.

The ding as it arrived set the entire group into a flurry of motion. In the split seconds it took for the door to open, Yang burst forward, a glyph leading right before her courtesy of Weiss. Ruby disappeared in a swarm of petals, even as three shadow clones leapt out before Blake. Jaune and Pyrrha rushed forward, shields raised, with Ren and Nora in the rear, ready to fight...nothing? A mocking laugh sounded from before the teens as they stood in battle formation, expecting an attack but finding nothing.

"Quite the show you put on. Such fretting about a trap, but I would _never_ do that to you. Please, join us, it's time for a celebration." The slow, sensual female voice had all of them looking towards the back of the room, seeing a woman standing tall on a platform before a door. To the two sides of the room, two half spiral staircases led up to the platform she stood on, but before the staircases were assembled an array of White Fang members, along with some very familiar faces.

"Why hello Red, long time no see!" Roman Torchwick grinned at Ruby, his ever present cane twirling in his hand as he tipped his hat to the teens. Neo stood silently beside him, her parasol over her shoulder, eyes locked on Yang.

"How the hell did you get out, Torchwick?!" Blake snarled at the red-haired man, leaning forward as though she was tempted to rush him right then. He chuckled at her, before bowing low and gesturing to his right.

"Oh, I had a little help…an old friend of yours, perhaps you remember him?" A tall, red-haired man stepped out, a Grimm mask over his face. He looked dead at Blake, his voice expressionless.

"Hello, Blake."

Blake gaped, her voice coming out in a whisper. "Adam?" He nodded at her, but was interrupted by a green-haired girl shoving past him, followed quickly by a silver haired boy.

"Wow, you kids are such idiots. Never even realized we were right there the whole time. Names Emerald, by the way, and I'll be killing you today!"

The silver haired boy rolled his eyes at her, before pointing at Pyrrha. "So, Nikos, wanna finish what we started in the arena?"

Before anyone could reply, Ruby stepped forward, her eyes having never left the woman standing upon the platform. "You're the one I fought here before, aren't you? And you came to our school too."

The woman on the platform smirked. "Cinder Fall, at your service."

Ruby took another step forward, her eyes locked with Cinder's. Her voice was quiet, calm, and steady as she kept looking at Cinder. "Why?"

Cinder cocked her head at Ruby, her smirk growing slightly. "So that everything will burn. Everything will burn today. This city, this kingdom, this world will burn."

Ruby's voice stayed calm as she replied. "I didn't ask what you're doing. I asked why."

Cinder arched an eyebrow at this, her smirk fading. "The why doesn't matter. The what doesn't matter. You're here to stop me. Let's not waste our time. You want me…come and get me." Cinder dashed backwards through the doorway behind her, the large metallic doors beginning to slide shut. Ruby burst into motion, her semblance allowing her to blitz past the people guarding the steps. She sped through the doors, Crescent Rose already in hand, just before they slammed shut, barely missing catching her cloak as it fluttered behind her. A single rose petal fell from the platform above, slowly drifting down to the floor. All eyes on the petal as it fell, until the moment it landed softly. Like a signal, Cinder's soldiers surged forward, going on the offensive.

Yang immediately threw a blast forward, clearing a small path for her as she charged straight at Neo, leaping into the air and screaming down at the oddly colored girl. Neo flipped her parasol up, intercepting Yang, before spinning away to a corner, Yang quickly following. Pyrrha had no time to react as Mercury had already leapt at her, a spinning back-kick followed by a quick series of jabs making her hop backward defensively. Emerald threw herself at Ren, firing with both her pistols as Ren returned fire with Stormflower, the two of them rushing each other in a hail of bullets. Nora and Jaune found themselves separated from the others, White Fang surrounding them and trying to use their sheer numbers to overwhelm the two.

Blake found herself torn. Looking back and forth between Adam and Roman, she had no idea what to do. She wanted to bring Roman down, again, desperately wanted to stop him. She still hated him with every fiber of her being. But she couldn't just ignore Adam. She knew exactly what Adam could do with Wilt and Blush…and more than that, she needed to end this. She had to stop Adam, she had to step up and stand up to him, or she'd never be able to move on with her life. A pale hand on her shoulder made her snap out of her trance, to see the serious face of Weiss looking at her. Weiss nodded her head at the two men.

"Let me take Adam. You can have Roman."

Blake looked dead into Weiss' eyes, before shaking her head no. "No. I can't run from this anymore. I'll take Adam. Just make sure to bring that cocky prick down." Weiss nodded, smiling at Blake before leaping up, using one of her glyphs to give her more height. Standing in midair, she pointed Myrtenaster down at Roman with narrowed eyes, leaping off the glyph, the tip of her blade leading the way.

Blake stood only a few feet from Adam, Gambol Shroud drawn and down at her side. She swallowed nervously, before locking eyes with Adam's behind the mask.

"Why Adam? Why are you helping _her_?"

Adam slowly drew Wilt, mirroring Blake's posture. "We will rebuild a new world from the ashes of this one, a world where Faunus will _never_ be mistreated again. Like the phoenix, the world will be reborn…but for that to happen, it has to be destroyed first."

Blake clenched her fists tightly, eyes shut for a brief moment. "Adam, you were my first friend. My mentor. You were like my brother. But this…this is insane. This is too much. I can't let you do this Adam. I'm sorry." Blake leapt forward, Gambol Shroud leading the way, knowing this could only end one way.

* * *

Ruby barely had time to slow down before she had to leap away again, the petals from her semblance bursting into flame as the lance of fire blew past where she was standing. Ruby took a moment to take stock of the room, noting that in the small, circular room she was in, the entire room was surrounded by crates upon crates of Dust. Cinder laughed once more, gesturing proudly around her.

"Do you like what I've done with the place, little rose? All this Dust is connected to a series of detonators. When it goes up, so does the tower...and the city. I've spent months setting this up…years making this plan. When Vale goes up in flames, we can spread outward, using the fear to continue our march. The Atlesian soldiers will remain in my control even after this tower goes up. You see, the transmitter is right here," Cinder casually patted a small box on her right hip. "We'll burn the entire kingdom to the ground, and then move on to the other three. I already have agents in place in Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo. It's only a matter of time before I can bring my fire to the rest of the world. And when everything in Remnant is ash, we will recreate this world. We'll make it a better place. Why fight us? You should join us, little rose. We're just trying to save the world, just like you."

Ruby snarled at Cinder, her eyes flashing. "You think killing everyone in the world is saving it?! What kind of monster are you?!"

Cinder's smile faded, her eyes narrowing on Ruby's. "I'm not the monster. I'm what the monsters made me!" Cinder swept her arm forward, a wave of flame flashing through the air at Ruby. Ruby ducked beneath it, returning fire with Crescent Rose, cursing under her breath as Cinder just deflected each shot with her bare hand. Cinder quickly dragged her hands up, forming a bow of flame, firing multiple arrows in rapid succession at the younger girl. Ruby dived to the floor, doing a front roll as she felt the heat of the fiery arrows bursting behind her. Leaping up, she kicked off one of the Dust boxes, swinging her scythe around her.

Cinder snapped the bow in half, flames wreathing it and transforming it into a pair of dual curved blades. Bringing them to bear against Ruby, she crossed them in an x formation, grunting slightly at the exertion as she stopped Ruby's blow in its tracks. Shoving up with one, forcing Ruby's scythe high, she slashed out at Ruby's abdomen. Ruby sucked in a breath and yanked her hips back, wincing as the tender area from where Penny had cut her earlier stretched the new scar. Ruby planted the scythe handle against the ground, using the leverage to leap up and kick out, landing a double kick directly on Cinder's chest, forcing the older woman back.

Cinder tossed a blade up in the air, making a quick gesture. A red glyph formed beneath Ruby's feet, making the red-head's eyes widen. Activating her semblance for what felt like the thousandth time that day, Ruby barely managed to throw herself out of the way as a towering inferno of flame burst upward from the floor below her. Landing on her feet, she held Crescent Rose carefully before her in a defensive stance. Cinder caught her second blade in hand and took a defensive stance as well, slowly circling to the left as Ruby mirrored her movements. Ruby took a moment to look at Cinder's eyes, seeing something she hadn't expected to see before. She could see the flash of pain in the older woman's eyes. Ruby could feel Cinder's fiery aura, and beneath the heat Ruby felt…sadness. Ruby kept her stance, but let her voice drop into a more soothing tone.

"What happened to you?"

Cinder's stance faltered for a brief second, bafflement crossing her face before she schooled it back into a neutral expression. "What are you talking about?"

Ruby slowly shook her head, not letting her gaze be interrupted. "What you just said. About being made what you are. You said you're not a monster, but you're what they made. What happened?" Cinder narrowed her eyes at Ruby, keeping her expression calm. But Ruby felt the spike in her aura, the confusion.

"What happened is unimportant. What matters is now. Whoever wins gets to decide how today ends. That's how this works. That's how the world works, little rose. The strong make the decisions for the weak. If the strong want the weak dead, or tortured, or…something else, the strong make the decision. The winner writes the ending of the story. So let's see which of us gets to write _this ending!_ " Cinder burst forward, her blades swinging for Ruby's head.

* * *

Chaos. Bedlam. Disorder. The only words able to describe the situation in the main room of the top floor of the CCT. In the minutes that had passed since Ruby and Cinder had become locked in that room together, no one had escaped injury, not even Neo. Cuts, burns, frostbite, broken bones, injuries scattered around the room.

Blake kept one hand over her hip, trying to put pressure on the slice that Wilt had dug out of her as her Aura desperately tried to heal it. Adam was against the wall in front of her, one hand holding Wilt, the other placed on top of his left eye as his Aura slowly was healing the cut that ran from his forehead down to his chin. He'd ripped the mask off after Blake had shattered the left half of it, one brilliant green eye staring down at Blake as she kept Gambol Shroud pointed at him, panting slightly.

"Adam, stop this! I don't want to hurt you!"

Adam snarled at Blake. "Oh now you care about me? What about when you abandoned me on the train, huh, Blake? Remember that? You were like my little sister, and you just up and leave without any explanation? How the hell do you think I felt?!"

Blake sniffed, bowing her head. "I couldn't stay! What you were doing…you were going to kill all those innocent people! I couldn't see you become that! Why can't you see, I don't want any part of that!"

Adam looked sadly at Blake, dropping his left hand down, still covered in blood even as the cut over his eye slowly closed. "I have to do this Blake. I have to make things better for our people. You can still come back to us! We'd take you back, I swear!" His tone had shifted to a plea, even as he took a step forward.

Blake inched backwards, shaking her head no. "I'm sorry Adam, but I can't. I have a new family now. I have people I love more than anything in my life now. I can't go back…I'm sorry." Blake lifted her hand back up, taking grip of her sheathe, the cut in her leg barely healed over.

Adam sighed. "Then I'm sorry Blake…only one way this ends."

As the two dashed back in to clash blades, Weiss was still locked in battle with Roman. His hat had been burned beyond recognition as he kept twisting his cane, deflecting every one of Weiss' pinpoint accurate stabs. His casual smirk was gone, replaced by a slightly panicked expression. He had landed one shot on Weiss' shoulder, but the heiress had ignored the pain even as blood seeped out of her shoulder, staining her white dress crimson. She was determined to bring him down once and for all…at the very least, she had to bring him to justice for Blake. Blake was her best friend besides Ruby, she couldn't let her down. Roman Torchwick had to be stopped.

Yang had taken Azure's lessons to heart, and was doing far better in her duel against Neo than she had in the past. She'd managed to land a powerful blow to the shorter girl's abdomen, slowing down her movements as she winced every time she had to move too fast. Not that Yang had escaped unscathed…she still had the tip of Neo's parasol buried in her left arm where she had snapped it off after Neo stabbed her. Yang figured it would hold the bleeding in for now, and just ignored the excruciating pain as she kept fighting, using the pain to fuel her semblance even further.

Nora and Jaune had managed to defeat most of the White Fang soldiers, but the massive Lieutenant with a chainsaw had them both occupied. The same one Weiss had previously been defeated by, Jaune and Nora quickly realized why. He shook off every blow struck on him as though it were nothing, his powerful Aura deflecting even a perfect grenade fueled shot from Nora's Magnhild. Jaune was trying to delay him until someone else could finish their fight, hoping he'd get some backup soon. Nora didn't have room to leap around as she normally did, which made it more difficult for her to bring her hammer to bear the way she was used to. It made the fight that much more difficult for the two of them, but at least Jaune had blocked most of the attacks. He and Nora had suffered a few cuts, and he was pretty sure a couple of his fingers were broken from when the lieutenant had tried to wrestle his sword from his hand, but a swing from Nora had dissuaded him from that. Jaune sighed, before rushing back in, hoping this would end soon.

Ren panted, doing his best to avoid the kusarigama's whipping at him as he ran around the outside corner of the room, returning fire with Stormflower when he could. Emerald was keeping him at range, preventing him from bringing the blades on his guns into play or his martial artistry, using the chains on her weapons to force him to back off, while dodging his gunfire. He had managed to get in a few good blows on her back when she had lost sight of him for a moment, but she'd quickly returned with a shallow stab to his side. Even as Ren channeled his Aura as best he could into the wound, he could see Emerald had already healed up from his attack. He narrowed his eyes at the green-haired girl, looking for a weakness he could exploit.

Pyrrha had seldom fought an opponent as skilled as Mercury, and especially not one who had apparently figured her semblance out. Though she could force his boots away with her semblance, he never gave her a chance to bring it to bear for a proper win. The explosive shots that fired out of his boots she couldn't block with polarity, so she had no option but to dodge or deflect with her shield, leaving her little time to bring Milo to bear as she wanted. But she would not even consider giving up or losing an inch of ground…she planned on stopping this, and stopping everything today. Too much had been lost already. Nothing more would be lost, not while Pyrrha still drew breath.

* * *

Ruby wanted desperately to somehow convince Cinder to stop, but she wasn't sure she could. Not as the fight progressed. To be honest, Ruby wasn't sure she could win even if she just wanted to end the fight. Her Aura was on its last dregs, the injuries she'd sustained catching up to her. Even though Aura could heal wounds, it could only heal so much of it before the body simply needed time to regenerate on its own. But more importantly, Ruby wasn't sure she could go as far as she was slowly realizing she would have to in order to stop Cinder.

"Cinder, please! Please stop this! I don't know what happened to you, but please, you don't need to do this!" For a moment, Ruby thought her words had made it through to Cinder, as the older woman stopped in place, her blades lowering towards the ground. Ruby carefully kept Crescent Rose up in a defensive position, but kept talking, trying to make Cinder see sense. "This isn't right. My uncle told me, you can't fight with hate in your heart. He said it destroys people. And he's right, I know he's right." Ruby paused, taking a deep breath before locking eyes with Cinder once more. "I am so angry at you. People died because of what you've done…died right in front of me. A little girl lost her chance to grow up and live her life, because of this. But I don't hate you. I won't let myself hate you. It's not right. So please, please Cinder, don't do this. Just please…stop. Stop all of this. This won't fix what happened to you."

Cinder sighed, dropping her blades to the floor, standing there with hunched shoulders. For a brief second, Ruby thought she'd listened to her, but then Cinder began chuckling quietly. Slowly, her chuckle evolved into a loud laugh as tears started to fall from her eyes. The longer she laughed, the more manic the tone became, until she sounded frantic. Abruptly, she cut her laugh off and looked Ruby dead in the eye, a maniacal grin stretched across her face. "No little rose…your uncle is wrong. Hate doesn't destroy people. Hate gives us purpose, gives us a reason. Everything will burn. _Everything...will...BURN!_ " Ruby watched, horrified, as Cinder thrust her hand out, a burst of flame leaping off her hand towards the boxes of Dust beside her.

Ruby triggered her semblance, pouring every last ounce of her aura into it, moving so fast it seemed like time stood still. In that brief moment, she realized exactly what she had to do. She could see it in Cinder's eyes…whatever had broken her, Ruby couldn't fix. Ruby couldn't save Cinder from her memories, from her past. Ruby realized, then and there, she had only one option. Even as she flashed in front of the flames and swept her cloak over them, dragging them towards herself and smothering the fire with her cloak and own body, biting her lip to avoid screaming out in pain as she felt the flames searing into her flesh, her own memories poured into her head.

Ruby watched a series of people flash through her head…her friends back at Signal, who she still wrote to every week. The teachers at Beacon, those who taught her and helped her on her path to becoming a huntress. Team JNPR, her sister team, her friends. Her father, the man who had raised her, who had helped bring her into this world. Her uncle, her mentor, and the one who saved her from herself not long ago. Her mother, her inspiration for everything she did, the woman she missed so much, who she desperately wanted to make proud of her. Blake, the quiet bookworm of her team, who had quickly become like a sister to her. Yang, her boisterous older sister, her protector and one of the most loving people Ruby knew. And Weiss…her beloved princess, the woman she planned on living the rest of her life with. Even as Ruby thought back to the people she cared for most in this world, she knew that today would change her forever. One last memory, one last line, her uncles words to her long ago…

_-Never strike someone down with hate in your heart.-_

In the split second it took for Ruby's mind to go through all this, she'd moved next to Cinder. In the stillness of Ruby's semblance at its utmost power, Cinder looked almost happy, arm still outstretched from when she had flung out the fire. Ruby gripped Crescent Rose tightly, and as she felt her fractured heart shatter from the final weight of today's events, Ruby swung, one single tear falling from her eye.

* * *

The sounds of the doors on the upper floor hissing open brought everyone involved in the fight to a stop, all eyes turning to the dark doorway. Ruby stepped through, holding in her arms the lifeless form of Cinder, face blank. A screeching cry of protest came from Emerald, the green-haired girl dropping her weapons and sprinting towards the two. Ruby gently lay Cinder down on the ground, standing up and stepping backwards so Emerald could kneel down beside her. Tears began to pour from the girls eyes as she looked down at Cinder, hands trembling.

Mercury stood in shock, jaw gaping, before slumping to his knees, head bowed. Pyrrha eased back from him, keeping her stance ready, but not making any move to attack him. Roman sighed, running his hand through his hair, disheveling it, before shrugging. He dropped his cane, holding his hands up in surrender. He looked over at Neo and nodded, making her shrug as well. Neo flipped her parasol over and held it out for Yang to take, the blonde looking at her in shock. Neo shrugged again, giving a half smile to Yang, before gesturing again for her to take it. Yang slowly reached out and grasped it, taking it out of Neo's grip with no issue. Neo sat down calmly on the edge of the steps, waiting patiently.

Adam took one look around as his face took on a contemplative expression. He calmly sheathed Wilt, before bowing low before Blake and setting the sheathed blade down before her. The other White Fang members who were still conscious disarmed themselves, dropping to their knees before the teens. Silence filled the room, the only sound being Emerald's sobbing. Ruby kept her eyes trained on Emerald's weeping form, before Emerald slowly looked up to lock eyes with Ruby.

Although Ruby had expected hate in Emerald's gaze, what she got was acceptance. Emerald's eyes held no rancor, just sadness, and a strange sense of calm. Emerald let her gaze drop from Ruby's, reaching down and slowly, gently laying Cinder's hands over her chest, before grasping the box at her hip. Unclipping it from Cinder's belt, Emerald held it up for Ruby to take. As Ruby grasped the box, Emerald held tight for a moment, once again looking directly at Ruby. Emerald spoke, her voice quiet and cracking.

"You won. You write the ending." Emerald let go, allowing Ruby to take the box in hand. Ruby stared at it for one second, looking at this tiny little box, marveling at how such small devices had caused such big trouble. As she felt the weight of everyone's gaze on her, Ruby tossed the device up in the air. Grabbing Crescent Rose from behind her, she felt the familiar weight of is in her hand as it unfolded into its full form. One final shot from it rang out in the still air, small particles of the box flying off into the air. As she replaced Crescent Rose on her back, she grasped her scroll and triggered the emergency channel once more. Holding it up to her mouth, she swallowed, before speaking.

"The signal is disabled. Mission…successful."


	30. Chapter 30

Weiss was cold. She mumbled to herself as she wrapped herself up tighter in her blankets, grumbling under her breath at the cold. Trying to stay asleep, she finally sighed and rolled over, reaching out to pull Ruby closer…wait, where was Ruby? In a panic, Weiss shot upwards in bed, glancing around frantically for Ruby. Seeing the small light shining from beneath the bathroom door and hearing the sound of the bathroom sink running, she calmed down a bit, realizing Ruby must have gotten up to use the bathroom. Laying back down, she turned her heard to look at her other teammates. Seeing Yang practically wrapped around Blake as the black haired girl snuggled into the warmth that was Yang's embrace made Weiss give out a soft smile, glad someone was finally sleeping.

The three days since the 'attack' (as the media had taken to calling) it had been brutal. As time went on, the death toll mounted as more bodies were found in the rubble. In a city of nearly half a million people, over fifty thousand had lost their lives. Thousands more were hospitalized with injuries ranging the gamut from minor to life threatening, leaving Vale without the necessary resources to cope. Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas had all immediately sent help, with Atlas bearing the brunt of the cost for both reparations and for reconstruction. The soldier's reprogramming had destroyed public faith in the android soldiers, leading Atlas to recall all of them instantly and begin trying to salvage what they could. The other three city states also began massive manhunts for the remnants of Cinder's organization in their own kingdoms, after the footage from Ruby and Cinder's battle made it public.

Cinder had, for reasons no one could decipher, left the CCT cameras on the entire time, allowing them to capture every moment of not only Ruby and Cinder's battle, but the fight between teams RWBY and JNPR and Cinder's assistants. Upon her death, some sort of dead man switch had triggered, sending the camera feed directly to every news organization around. It also included all the footage the Atlesian soldier's had recorded during the attack…apparently they had built in cameras, something else the Atlesian military had left out during press conferences.

The public's perception of the Atlesian soldiers had been tanked, but thanks to the hunter students of Beacon, the perception of them had skyrocketed…especially team's RWBY and JNPR. The media in every kingdom had begun running story after story of everything they could find on the two teams, and mostly about Ruby herself. Already, titles like 'Hero of Vale' and 'Remnant's Savior' had been thrown around, with people clambering to get ahold of her personally. Weiss had already had to replace Ruby's scroll with a brand new one, with a new number, after Ruby had smashed her previous scroll into the wall in an attempt to get it to stop.

Though the public thought Ruby was now the greatest hero since the great war, Ruby herself despised every title and accolade being heaped upon her. The moment another news story popped up about her, she'd either instantly leave the room, try to change the channel, or in one memorable case, try to smash the screen entirely. Luckily, Ozpin had been very generous and did not blame Ruby in the slightest for the rampant destruction she nearly caused. He'd also told both teams RWBY and JNPR to take as much time off classes as they needed, to recuperate and recover.

The team had later found out the little girl, whose name was Ariel, was an orphan from a nearby orphanage that had been in the direct path of one of the bombs. She was one of the few kids who had made it out of the building before it went up. When Ruby found that out, that she had made it out only to die regardless, she had shut down entirely after that, unable to move for most of that day. Even the days after, she wasn't herself. During the day, she was quiet and withdrawn, not really reacting to anything or anyone with her normal vitality. Every day, her father and uncle came to visit her, but even they could not seem to break her free from her troubles. She'd just look up at them blankly and answer all questions with short replies, normally simple yes or no responses. But at night, at night was when it was truly problematic.

Team RWBY had barely slept more than an hour a night since the attack…every night, Ruby would awaken, screaming or thrashing about from another night terror. Weiss, Yang, and Blake would spend the next hour trying to calm her, holding her tight and comforting her until she fell asleep once more, but this led to the problem that all four members of the team were now suffering from sleep deprivation. Tempers were becoming short as patience wore thin, and even Blake and Yang would now bicker without their normal joviality. It had gotten to the point the three had contemplated sleeping in shifts, so one of them was always awake with Ruby and could try to wake her before it got too bad. Needless to say, they kept this little conversation a secret from Ruby…she didn't need more guilt.

With a start, Weiss realized she'd been laying their thinking for nearly ten minutes, yet not once did the water stop running. Worried, she quietly crept over to the bathroom door, seeing it cracked open slightly. Weiss kept her voice at a whisper, trying to let Blake and Yang get some more sleep.

"Ruby? Ruby, sweetie, are you ok?" Listening at the door, Weiss only heard the sound of running water, and what sounded like someone scrubbing something. Looking down, the heiress noted that steam was escaping from beneath the door, making her cock her head in confusion. Taking a deep breath and hoping she didn't scare Ruby, Weiss carefully opened the door. Eyes wide at what the opening revealed to her, Weiss instantly shouted.

" _Ruby!"_

Weiss' shout woke Yang and Blake instantly, the former jolting up and nearly smacking her head on the underside of her old bed as Blake leapt to her feet, teeth bared. The sounds of struggling from the bathroom had them both swiveling their heads towards the door, before dashing over.

Weiss had her arms around Ruby's midsection, trying desperately to pull her away from the sink, where steaming hot water was rushing down at full blast from the faucet. Ruby's eyes were wild, unclear, as she kept reaching out and sobbing, scrubbing desperately at her hands. Yang gasped as she saw Ruby's bright red, burned hands, blistered from the heat, with blood dripping off her hands where she had rubbed the skin clean off her knuckles. Ruby kept muttering under her breath, trying to escape Weiss' grasp and reach the sink again.

Yang leapt forward and pushed Weiss out of the way, shooting her an apologetic glance, as she replaced Weiss' position with herself. Yang's superior strength let her finally pull Ruby away from the sink, lifting her feet off the ground and dragging her back and away from the bathroom. Weiss grabbed the sink handles and shut them off, hissing in pain as the burning hot metal seared her own hands, before letting her Aura begin healing it. Blake helped Yang pull Ruby away from the bathroom, the younger girl now openly sobbing, repeating the same three words over and over again.

" _Get it off get it off get it off get it off get it off!"_ her voice rising on every repetition, she was nearly screaming now, as she started digging at the skin on her hands, almost as though she wanted to rip her own flesh off. As the other three girls tried to wrestle Ruby to the floor, trying to keep her hands away from each other, a loud knocking sounded on their door. Blake quickly dashed to the door and ripped it open, eyes wide in panic. Team JNPR was standing right outside their door, with other students trying to peer in even as Nora and Ren tried to keep them back. Pyrrha took one glance inside before dashing in, helping Yang pin Ruby as Weiss tried to grab Ruby's hands. Jaune, Nora, and Ren took up better positions outside the door, with Nora informing the other students in no uncertain terms that if they did not leave, she'd be breaking bones. Knowing her reputation, they quickly dispersed, leaving Blake time to go back into the room. With Pyrrha keeping a good grip on Ruby's shoulders, Yang and Blake could finally grab ahold of Ruby's hands and stop her from ripping at herself even further. Weiss grabbed Ruby and held her close, keeping her head buried in her shoulder, cooing softly at her and trying to calm her down.

Yang and Blake channeled their aura into Ruby's hands, ever so slowly trying to help heal her self-inflicted wounds, as Weiss kept up her calming speech, just talking softly to Ruby. Reminding her she loved her, that her family and friends loved her, and just saying whatever came to mind to try to distract Ruby from her inner demons. Feeling Ruby's struggles die down slightly, but noticing the younger girl still was hyperventilating, Weiss quickly grabbed her face and kissed her, trying to help her calm her breathing down.

Slowly Ruby began to calm, her breathing leveling out as she began to return Weiss' kisses. The redness on her hands eased from Yang and Blake's auras, her eyes opening and finally seeming to see those gathered around her. Ruby dropped her head instantly, tears still falling as Weiss pulled her in for another hug, holding her tightly against the heiress' chest. Kissing the top of her head, Weiss locked eyes with Pyrrha for a moment, mouthing a 'thank you' to the amazon. Pyrrha just smiled softly at her before nodding and standing up. Putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder, Pyrrha squeezed gently, letting herself out of the room and ushering the rest of the team JNPR back to their dorm. Closing the door behind her, the clicking of the door the last sound before the room fell into silence. Yang released Ruby's hand, having healed as much as she could, before joining in the hug, holding Ruby and Weiss close. Blake followed suit for a brief moment, before getting up and grabbing as many blankets as she could.

Blake wrapped one around Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, and then began building up a spot on the floor, layering blanket over blanket. Slipping quietly around the room, she next gathered up the pillows, laying them out next to each other. Returning to the trio, Blake tapped Weiss and Yang on the shoulder, before pointing out the nest she'd built on the floor. Weiss gave Blake a watery smile as Yang nodded, before lifting the two girls she had her arms wrapped around as though they weighed nothing. Weiss gave a small squeak of surprise, but relaxed as Yang slowly set them down on the pile of blankets. Yang lay down next to Ruby, tossing an arm over her, as Blake snuggled into her back, pulling the blankets up with her. Ruby lay in the middle, head still buried in Weiss' shoulder, her tears finally drying up as she felt the adrenaline draining from her. Exhausted, emotionally drained, Ruby fell asleep within minutes, the other three joining her shortly after, the days on end of lack of sleep catching up to them once more.

* * *

_Red. Everything is red. Red dripping from the walls, from the trees, red falling from the sky in droplets like rain. Red below, feet sloshing through puddles of red. Red dripping from tangled strands of hair, falling from skyscrapers looming above, disappearing into the red clouds covering the sky. Dim red light from the sun. Voices whispering, a susurrus murmuring of voices, unclear. Every step a trudging struggle, wading through the mire below. Have to keep moving forward, can't look back. Screams echoing from the voices, muted explosions from behind, everything in a red haze. Everything smells metallic, like rusted iron. Feet ahead, someone standing in the way. Gotta look up._

_'Cinder? Cinder, you're here! You're ok…no. No you aren't. Gaping hole in your chest, where my scythe tore into you. Why are your eyes bleeding?'_

_"How's it feel being a murderer little red? Like what you've done with the place, really, I do. All this blood, painted on the town. All this blood, just for you, Hero."_

_'No, no, I didn't do this. I didn't…no. I didn't do this!'_

_A giggle? Who's giggling? That's…Ariel? You're alive!_

_"No silly, I'm not alive. You forgot? You didn't save me, so I died. It's all your fault, Hero." Blood dripping from the massive hole clean through Ariel's chest, dripping from her eyes, from her hands. Blood leaking from her mouth, filled with needlelike teeth as she looks at me, grinning. "Hero, Hero, look at the little Hero. Hero, Hero, look at the little Hero."_

_'Stop that. Stop singing. Stop, all of you, just stop!' My hands…covered in red. Covered in blood. Cinder's blood. Ariel's blood. Blood from everyone who died. I was too slow. I should have got the signal quicker. Oh dust oh dust make it stop please get it off stop please stop singing please STOP!_

* * *

Ruby jerked awake, feeling air rushing into her lungs as she gasped for breath. Bolting up, she grabbed her hair tightly and pulled, letting the pain distract her from her nightmare. Hands still shaking, she peeked open an eye to glance down, seeing Weiss sleeping next to her, curled into a ball, her hair strewn across the pillow. Ruby wasn't really surprised Weiss hadn't woken up this time...the heiress had barely slept for the past few days, thanks to her. Even last night, when they had all fallen asleep together after she lost it in the bathroom, they had slept fitfully. Ruby knew the other three were worried for her, which only made her feel guiltier. She didn't know what to do, the dreams wouldn't stop no matter what she did. She knew she couldn't get back to sleep, but she felt the exhaustion creeping up on her again. Glancing at her scroll, she winced as she noticed the time was 2:48 in the morning.

Slowly, Ruby made her way out of the bed, shivering slightly in the dry, chilled air. Pulling the blanket up and tucking it around Weiss, Ruby slipped her feet into a pair of slippers and quietly snuck out of her dorm room. She didn't know what to do, so she just let her mind and body wander through the silent halls of Beacon. For the first time since the attack, she felt her mind go blank, giving her just a few minutes of reprieve from her inner torment.

Ruby found herself standing outside Azure's office, staring at his door. She felt incredibly guilty, but he did say anytime…before she could think it through, she raised her hand and knocked three times, wincing slightly at the loud echo that sounded through the hallway. She heard the distinct sound of a crash, followed by a muffled yelp of pain, before a voice called out.

"One sec!" Some more grumbles and shuffling sounded, before she heard heavy footsteps trailing towards the door. The door swung open, revealing a _very_ blue Azure, in dark blue shorts and t-shirt. Ruby was taken aback for a second, thinking she had the wrong door when she saw the dark blue hair and eyes looking at her, but then she remembered a stray comment Blake had made about him. For his part, Azure yawned, running one hand through his already disheveled hair, before opening his eyes wide to see Ruby. His expression shifted from the fairly tired look he had before to a pensive one as he saw her. He cocked his head at Ruby.

"Ruby?"

Ruby bit her lip for a moment, before speaking, her voice quiet and wavering. "Um…you said any time, right?"

Azure nodded, giving Ruby a half smile, before opening his door the rest of the way and gesturing for her to enter. "That I did, and this is any time. Give me just a moment, I'm going to get some tea. Want something?"

Ruby thought for a second, before looking up sheepishly. "Coffee? Cream and five sugars?"

Azure arched an eyebrow at her, before shrugging. "Sure. Give me a few minutes." Azure quickly strode back through the back door in his office, as Ruby sat down in the chair and curled her legs up, feeling surprisingly comfortable in this office. She could hear Azure in the back room, clicking a few buttons on some sort of machine of some kind and moving around. By now, this room was somewhat familiar, although Ruby noticed the round rock she'd seen before was no longer on the shelf. Instead, it was on the desk, directly in front of her. Her curiosity got the better of her, and Ruby reached forward to it. The moment she touched it, the top half slid sideways, falling off with a loud thud, leaving the rock in two perfect semicircular halves. Ruby's eyes widened as she yanked her hand back, worried she'd broken something. Azure chose that moment to walk back into the room, two mugs in hand, taking in the guilty look on Ruby's face and the rock before chuckling quietly to himself. Handing one of the mugs to Ruby, he took his seat once more, sipping from his mug before speaking.

"Don't worry Ruby, you didn't break it. It's made that way. It's a geode." Seeing Ruby's confused look, Azure picked up one half and held it up before her, showing her the center. Large translucent purple crystals were scattered about inside the hollow center of the rock, making beautiful formations inside the stone. Ruby's eyes were wide as she looked at it, before he handed it to her to view closer. "I like geodes. A rough, strange exterior, before opening up to reveal beauty within. You could make some fortune cookie philosophy off that, but really, I just like the dichotomy. It makes me feel better to look at it." Ruby was holding it in one hand, poking at the inside with the other, her attention riveted on the stone, but Azure tapping the desk brought her attention back to him. He looked at her and smiled softly, before leaning back in his chair. "So, what brings you here at…" Azure glanced over at the clock, "a quarter past three in the morning?"

Ruby stiffened, the momentary reprieve she'd gained from her demons coming crashing down as she dropped her head. She sighed and muttered "I know it's early. I'm sorry. I can go if you wanna get more sleep-" Azure tapped his desk again, making her look up at him to see a stern expression on his face.

"Ruby, its fine. I said anytime and I meant it. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Ruby fiddled with the half of the geode she held for a moment, before setting it back down on the desk. "I can't sleep. Every time I do, I get these really awful nightmares. They keep waking me up, and I end up waking the others up, but sometimes I don't really wake up, you know? It's like, I'm awake, but I'm not really, I don't even see Weiss or Blake or Yang, I just see the dream still…and its keeping them from sleeping, and I don't want that, they keep suffering because of me, but I can't stop the dreams and I can't stay awake I'm just so tired and I don't know what to do and-" Once again, Azure tapped on the desk, making Ruby realize she'd begun to babble, her voice rising in pitch as she'd spoken. Azure took a moment to look directly at Ruby as he sipped from his tea once more, making Ruby shy away from his penetrating gaze. He nodded to himself as though making up his mind, before standing up and grabbing a black jacket from a rack on the wall to his side. He tossed it to Ruby, the younger girl catching it instinctively, before he began pulling on a pair of shoes. Ruby held the jacket in hand, glancing between it and Azure, before speaking, voice quiet. "What's this for?"

"Put that on, it's a bit chilly out. You're nearly my height anyways, it should fit. Geez you're getting almost as tall as your sister. Anyways, we're going to Vale. I have something to show you."

Ruby froze for a moment, before looking at him, confused. "None of the airships run at this time though."

Azure nodded distractedly as he dug through his desk, letting out an 'ah-ha!' sound as he found something that jingled in hand. "Yep, but there's another way into the city. Just not a lot of people willing to take it. Just follow me. You got slippers on, right?" At Ruby's nod, Azure strode out the door, holding it open for Ruby to follow, before closing it behind her. Striding down the hall determinedly, Azure led Ruby through a series of hallways she'd never seen before. She assumed they must be faculty specific, as she passed rooms labeled after the Professors of the school. He swiped his scroll near a heavy metallic door, opening it when the click signifying the lock had released, revealing a narrow staircase. Ruby followed behind Azure as he led her down three flights, before swiping his scroll by another similar door, leading into what appeared to be an underground garage. A few vehicles were scattered about, but Ruby noted Azure led her unerringly towards some darkly colored sports car. The jingle she had heard before made sense now, as she saw him pull a keychain from his pocket and hit a button, causing the sports cars lights to blink on and the doors to unlock. He walked over and opened the passenger door, before gesturing for Ruby to get in.

As he shut the door behind her and swung around to the driver's side, Ruby took a moment to look around at the inside of the car. It was very well maintained, clean, with quite a bit of interesting technology in the middle console that had the engineering curiosity within her sparking for a moment. Azure inserted the key and turned the car on, the low rumble of the engine purring in the quiet garage. Azure glanced over, gesturing at the seatbelt. "You're going to want to put that on. This route is a bit…disconcerting to some people." As he swung the car out towards a large door that was slowly rising up, Ruby snapped her seatbelt on. Looking up, all she saw was a steadily increasing incline with dark red warning lights on the wall, leading straight out and up towards what looked like the night sky. Ruby gave Azure one exasperated look.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Azure hit the gas, steadily increasing the speed, shifting gears as the car sped up the track. "If by think it is, you mean a ramp that's going to launch us out into the air over the Emerald Forest until we land on the matching ramp at the outskirts of Vale, you'd be right." Ruby's expression didn't change from the deadpan look she was giving Azure, even as the edge drew closer.

"How's the car supposed to handle that sorta impact?"

"Dust magic. I have durability glyphs woven throughout my car's infrastructure, allowing me to channel Aura through it temporarily to strengthen it for the impact. Helps a lot whenever I feel like running a Grimm over. It's quite therapeutic."

Ruby's expression faded for a second, before the tiniest of grins came across her face. "How fast does she go?"

Azure grinned, eyes locked forward. "Never quite figured it out. I just go until the needle on the speedometer reaches the max, and then go further. I figured you'd enjoy a bit of speed."

Ruby settled back in her seat, eyes forward on the swiftly approaching night sky ahead of them, speaking softly. "Maybe I would." Seconds later, the two of them hit the edge of the ramp, sending them careening out into the air.

* * *

"Why'd you bring me here?" Ruby's voice was subdued, head down as she stood in the ruined courtyard of the CCT. The car was parked idly by a few meters away, with Azure having driven straight into the courtyard, ignoring the police signs warning people to keep out. The streets of Vale had been silent as a tomb, everyone asleep save a few night owls who ignored the two driving through the streets. It had taken no small amount of time to reach the CCT, with having to avoid all the destruction still rampant throughout the city, but they had managed it. Azure stood, hands in pockets as he breathed in the night air, before turning around to face Ruby. Pointing at the line of destruction Ruby had wreaked with her shockwave, he waved his hand along its route.

"Did you know this is where they plan to place the memorial for the victims?" Ruby shook her head no, keeping her head down as she sighed. "Well, this is where. The council decided it (with no small input from Ozpin), that this was the right place. This was where the final battle took place, this was where the signal originated from, and this was where the first steps made towards stopping the assault began. The first steps which you took." Azure carefully noted how Ruby's hands went to fists, but continued, eyes narrowed. "Everyone keeps calling you a hero, but you think that's bull, don't you?" Ruby snapped her head up, eyes wide in shock as he called her out. "You hate what you did, you despise how far you had to go, and you can't get over your guilt, both for failing to save Ariel, and for killing Cinder." Ruby's eyes stayed locked on Azure's, her gaze wavering, but she nodded ever so slightly. Azure walked over and placed his hands on Ruby's shoulders, looking her dead in the eye.

"Everyone keeps telling you you did what you had to do, but that doesn't make it better. It doesn't make it ok. And that's ok Ruby. It's not wrong of you to feel this way. It's not wrong of you to be hurting. I'm not here to give you a fairytale ending and fix this for you. I brought you here so you could see that, regardless of what you feel, in the end, you saved hundreds of thousands of people. Maybe if you'd been quicker, you coulda saved Ariel. Maybe if you had more time, you coulda gotten through to Cinder. But Ruby, maybes will just haunt you until the day you die if you let them." Ruby shook off his grip, walking away and turning her back. Wrapping her arms around herself, she glanced up at the night sky, thinking. Azure waited a few moments, before pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"You know Ruby, Ariel wasn't the only kid to make it out of that orphanage." Ruby nodded, already familiar with that. "Well, one of the other kids contacted the school. He was one of the older kids, a young teen named Jasper. He told us Ariel was like his little sister, and he wanted to give a message to you. We took it down for him. Do you want to know what it said?" Ruby slowly turned around to face Azure, looking at him, before nodding silently. Azure held up the page before him and squinted so he could read it in the light of the shattered moon, before speaking softly.

"Dear Miss Ruby, my name is Jasper. You tried to save my baby sister Ariel, and the other kids in the orphanage. I just wanted you to know that I saw the videos, and I think you did everything you could. I'm not angry at you for not getting to Ariel. I'm just sad she's gone. I'm gonna remember her all my life, and gonna make sure to live my life so she'd be proud of me. After seeing what you guys did, I started thinking maybe I wanna be a hunter too. You protect people like Ariel, like me, like my friends, and you do it cause it's the right thing to do. I think that's cool. I just wanted you to know I really look up to you, and to me, you're not the Hero of Vale, but you are my hero. Thank you for being there for us. Jasper." Azure finished reading, holding the paper out for Ruby to take.

Ruby took it in trembling hands, staring down at it, a variety of emotions running across her face. A single tear fell from her eyes, staining the page, before she hurriedly wiped it away. Folding the paper up, she shoved it in her pocket, before glancing up at Azure. Clearing her throat, she spoke.

"Hey…you know how you were taking this job just till your team finished with the whole kid thing?" Azure nodded, not bothering to speak. Ruby fidgeted for a moment, before finishing. "So, does that mean you'll be leaving soon?"

Azure took on a contemplative expression, before shrugging. "Well, you know, soon as the kids born my teammates will still need to start raising it. Can't exactly leave a baby alone. Besides…I kind of like this job. I think I'll be around for a good long while. Nothing says I can't be a counselor _and_ hunt." Azure grinned at Ruby, glad to see her tiny answering smile. He tilted his head with a smile at his car.

"C'mon. It's nearly sunrise. Let's go home."

* * *

Ruby walked into her dorm, the sun barely peeking in from the window, to a scene of utter chaos. Weiss was dashing frantically about the room, half dressed, trying to find something, as Yang was trying to reload her gauntlets quickly. Blake, somehow, had gotten her ribbon tangled up and had one of her arms locked with the other. Using her teeth, she was trying to yank it apart, but upon Ruby's arrival the entire room went still for a moment, before Weiss leaped from her position and nearly tackled Ruby as she wrapped her arms around her.

"You dolt, we were so worried about you! Where did you go?"

Ruby patted Weiss' back, before pulling her back. Smiling softly at Weiss, Ruby kissed her lightly, caressing her cheeks gently. Breaking the kiss and grinning slightly at the shocked expression on Weiss' face, Ruby turned back to the other two. Releasing Weiss, she strode over to Yang and hugged her tight, squeezing till Yang felt her ribs crack, before walking over to Blake and helping her untangle herself. As soon as the ribbon was released, Ruby took Blake in a tight hug as well, kissing her on the cheek. Ruby turned back to the room, slightly amused by how the other three were dead silent. Taking a deep breath, she fiddled with her shirt for a moment, before glancing up at the other three.

"I'm not ok. It still hurts, and I don't think the nightmares are gonna go away any time soon. But I think…I think I can handle it for now. I think I can do this. And I don't want you guys to hurt anymore either. So I just…I just want you guys to know I love you all so much, and I'm back. I'm not gonna leave you ever again. I'm not the Hero of Vale, or Remnant's Savior, or anything like that. I'm Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY, with my best friend Blake Belladonna, my sister Yang Xiao Long, and my angel, Weiss Schnee. That's who I am. That's who I'm gonna be. I'm not the Hero of Vale…but I'm ok with being the hero for someone else. I'm a huntress in training, and someday, I'll be a real huntress. I'll never stop fighting, but that's ok, cause I'm fighting for something good. I'm fighting for people. I'm fighting for you guys. So, I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and I'm here, and here I'm staying."

Yang swept Blake, Weiss, and Ruby up into one of her bone-breaking hugs, squeezing them tightly, her smile wide enough to blot out the sun. Releasing Weiss and Ruby, Yang kept her arm wrapped around Blake's waist, holding her close as Blake smiled at Ruby, head on Yang's shoulder. Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck and crashed her lips to the younger girls, pouring all her love and affection out for her, before releasing her to look directly into Ruby's silver eyes.

"And here we'll stay, right by your side, with you. Forever. I love you, Ruby Rose."

Ruby leaned her forehead against Weiss', smiling down at the heiress. "I love you too, Weiss Schnee."


End file.
